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973 injured, 3 dead, as earthquake hits Iran-UPDATED

29 January 2023 15:00 (UTC +04:00)

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit northwestern Iran overnight, killing at least three people and injuring 973 in the region near the border with Turkey, state officials and media said Sunday, APA reports.

***10:11

At least two people were killed, and more than 800 injured when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Iran on Saturday night local time, APA reports citing ISNA.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA said the earthquake hit the city of Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, in northwest Iran, around 9:44 p.m. local time, citing the Iranian Seismological Center in Tehran.

At least 800 people were injured and 70 villages damaged, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported. It said that relief and damage assessment operations are underway.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) also registered the quake as 5.9 magnitude.

“The tremor was so strong that it was felt in many regions of West Azerbaijan Province, causing concern among residents. It was also felt in several cities, including the provincial capital of Tabriz in the neighboring province of East Azerbaijan,” IRNA reported.