Earthquake Wounds 100 in Western Iran

TEHRAN (FNA)- An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale jolted three towns in Lorestan province, western Iran, injuring over 100 people.

The Seismological center of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 04:45 hours local time (00:15GMT) Thursday morning.

The epicenter of the quake was located in an area 48.6 degrees in longitude and 33.9 degrees in latitude.

Head of the provincial natural disasters headquarters in Lorestan, Reza Ariai told FNA at least 70 people were wounded in the city of Boroujerd, 350 kilometers southwest of the capital Tehran.

Four aftershocks have already been registered in the area.

In March 2006, three earthquakes and nine aftershocks hit the same area in quick succession, killing at least 70 people and injuring about 1,200.

There are yet no reports on the number of possible casualties or damage to properties by the quake.

Meantime, FNA dispatches from western Iran also said that a mild earthquake with the magnitude of 4 on the Richter scale rattled the Iranian province of Hamadan this morning.

Authorities told FNA that the earthquake happened at 4:45 am local time (0015 GMT).

However a Hamadan gubernatorial official has announced that the city of Nahavand might have suffered some damages since it is located on an active seismic line.

Iran is located on several seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake every day on average.