A magnitude 5.9 earthquake on Sunday struck Iran’s southern province of Bushehr, where a nuclear power plant is located, but there were no immediate reports of major damage.
The epicenter of the quake was the town of Rig and hospitals in nearby cities and provinces were on alert, with rescue teams and 50 ambulances sent to the area.
Local official Gholamreza Mehrjou told state TV that water, electricity and internet have been restored to villages in the quake-hit area and people who had taken to the streets in fear of more tremors “have returned to their homes”.
An Iranian government official told Reuters there were no reports of damage at the Bushehr nuclear complex on Iran’s Gulf coast.
The quake was centred 100 km (60 miles) from the plant and was relatively shallow – only 10 km deep, according to Iranian media – which would have amplified the shaking.
Iranian media reported 16 aftershocks and posted pictures that showed collapsed mud brick walls in some villages.
Five people were injured in Gonaveh and were being taken to hospital, Saeed Kashmiri, head of the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, was quoted as saying by state media.
Crisscrossed by major fault lines, the Islamic Republic is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world. In 2003 a magnitude 6.6 quake in Kerman province killed 31,000 people and flattened the ancient city of Bam.
Taiwan struck by M6.2 and M5.8 earthquakes three minutes apart
East Taiwan was struck by magnitude 6.2 and 5.8 earthquakes three minutes apart on Sunday evening (April 18), according to the Central Weather Bureau (CWB).
The first earthquake, a magnitude 5.8, struck at 10:11 p.m. and was 19.2 kilometers southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a shallow focal depth of 15 kilometers. Taiwan uses an intensity scale of one to seven that gauges the degree to which a quake is felt at a specific location.
The second earthquake, measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale, struck a mere three minutes later at 10:14. The epicenter of the second temblor was 20.2 kilometers southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a shallow depth of 13.9 kilometers.
Many Taiwan residents reported receiving an emergency text message on their phones from the CWB warning them an earthquake had occurred at 10:11 p.m. and to “beware of probable shaking.” No injuries from either quake had been reported at the time of publication.
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