State TV: Magnitude 5.9 quake jolts remote area in northeastern Iran, 1 villager injured
By APFriday, August 27, 2010
Moderate quake hits remote area in northeast Iran
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian state TV says a magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook a remote area in northeastern Iran.
The report says the quake struck at 11:53 p.m. local time on Saturday (19:23 GMT), about 190 miles (300 kilometers) outside the town of Damghan in Semnan province.
The TV says one villager was injured and 15 homes were damaged. The toll likely wasn’t higher because the area is very sparsely populated.
The U.S. Geological Survey put the quake’s strength at magnitude 5.7.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake a day on average.
Some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in 2003.
