A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck southwestern Iran overnight from Wednesday February 17 to Thursday February 18, according to the American Institute of Geophysics (USGS), leaving dozens injured and extensive property damage , reports the official Irna agency.
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The earthquake occurred at 10:05 p.m. (6:35 p.m. GMT) at a depth of 10 km near the mountainous town of Sisakht, the USGS said.
The earthquake left "
32 injured, two of whom were serious
" and "
caused a lot of damage to buildings, infrastructure and houses
," said the Irna agency.
According to a preliminary assessment, “
78 villages were severely damaged and some houses were completely destroyed.
The magnitude of the earthquake was such that most people did not return home
"overnight, for fear of possible aftershocks, adds Irna.
The Iranian seismological agency measured for its part a magnitude of 5.6.
