Number Of People Injured By Earthquake In Northwestern Iran Rises To 165

The number of people injured as a result of the earthquake that jolted northwestern Iran on Friday close to the Turkish border has risen to 165, the governor of the West Azerbaijan province said

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) The number of people injured as a result of the earthquake that jolted northwestern Iran on Friday close to the Turkish border has risen to 165, the governor of the West Azerbaijan province said.

"Today's quake left 165 people injured, of whom 139 were discharged after receiving medical help. Twenty-six others require more assistance," Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

The 5.6-magnitude quake hit 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from the city of Khoy at 03:16 GMT, according to the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center.

The scale of destruction was not immediately reported.

Iran sits on several major tectonic faults and is prone to frequent earthquakes. IRNA news agency reported that West Azerbaijan recorded at least 35 tremors measuring above 2.5 on the Richter scale in the past two months.

Iran saw the deadliest earthquake in 1990 when a 7.7-magnitude tremor killed at least 37,000 people and injured more than 100,000 others in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan.