Magnitude 5.9 earthquake shakes Iran-Türkiye border

A strong magnitude 5.9 earthquake shook the Türkiye-Iran border area late Saturday, destroying homes in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province, according to reports by Iranian media outlets and the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

“According to the preliminary observations of the Fars reporter, the amount of destruction of houses and buildings in the city of Khoy is relatively high,” the semi-official news agency Fars reported.

The quake had a magnitude of 5.6 and was at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), EMSC said. Iranian media said the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.9 and hit Iran’s Western Azerbaijan province.

Iranian emergency officials said rescue teams were dispatched to the area and hospitals were put on alert, state media said.

An emergency official told Iranian state TV that it was snowing in some of the areas affected by the quake amid freezing temperatures and that there were some power cuts.

Meanwhile, Türkiye Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said no damage or casualties have been reported in Van province, which borders Iran.

Relevant AFAD teams were still carrying out fieldwork to determine damage in the area, AFAD president Yunus Sezer said on Twitter.

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