Southern Iran jolted by 5.6 magnitude earthquake

TEHRAN, Iran

An earthquake of magnitude 5.6 rocked Iran's southern province of Hormozgan on Saturday, with no immediate reports of casualties or major infrastructural damage.

According to Tehran University's seismology department, the earthquake struck at around 8:07 am local time at a depth of 22 km.

The epicenter of the earthquake was between the Persian Gulf island of Kish and the port of Charak, located at 54.03 degrees longitude and 26.52 degrees latitude.

Hormozgan province, home to 14 small islands, has the largest coastline along the Persian Gulf, measuring around 1000 km.

Half a dozen assessment teams from Iran's Red Crescent Society have been dispatched to the area to take stock of the damage, although details remain unclear.

The impact of the earthquake was felt in many nearby provinces, Anadolu Agency learned, with people anticipating after-shocks.

According to officials, several low-intensity earthquakes have been reported in the province in recent days, including at least 13 tremors of magnitude less than 4.

In November last year, Hormozgan was struck by two successive tremors with magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.3 respectively, which resulted in many casualties.

Before that, in February, a 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit the southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, leaving dozens injured and several properties damaged.

Iran is located in a seismically active zone and has seen many catastrophic earthquakes in the past.

The most devastating quake to hit the country in recent history came in 2013 when at least 34,000 people died in the city of Bam in southeastern Kerman province. The quake measured 6.7 on the Richter scale.

Experts have long warned that the capital city Tehran, located in the world's most active seismic zone, could be expecting a major earthquake with a magnitude above 7.