Dec. 21, 2017 – A relatively strong earthquake jolted a town near Iran’s capital on Wednesday, according to state media, causing panic among the people and prompting them to leave the buildings and pour out into the streets in fear.
The epicenter of the quake, according to the state run news agencies, was in the city of Meshkindasht, in Alborz province.
In addition to the capital Tehran, the quake jolted the cities of Qom and Qazvin, south of Tehran, and also in Arak, home to the heavy water nuclear reactor in the country. The exact time of the quake was registered at 23:27 local time.
The latest details of the 5.2 quake in Tehran
The head of Iran’s National Disaster Management Organization, Esmaiel Najjar said at least 56 people were injured in Alborz province alone. “A seven years old child was killed and the cause of death is under the investigation”, he said. This official added that one person was injured in a fire caused by the jolt and another person was killed in the city of Malard during the quake.
Following the quake, most of the government offices and centers stayed closed on Thursday, as universities and schools in Tehran, Alborz and Qom also stayed closed.
The quake was centered 3 kilometers from the city of Malard and in the depth of 7 kilometers. So far 3 aftershocks have been registered.
In November, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing more than 600 people.
Iran is prone to near-daily earthquakes as it sits on major fault lines. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
