Quake in Iran’s Mashhad: 2 killed, 17 injured [UPDATE]

By  Trend

Death toll in the Mashhad earthquake has risen to two, while 17 people are listed as injured, Iran’s Mizan news agency reported.

12:12 (GMT +4) At least one was killed and five injured in the strong earthquake that jolted Iran’s Mashhad on Apr. 5 morning.

The earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook buildings across the provincial capital city of Mashhad and nearby towns at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), Iran’s state-run IRINN TV reported.??

The big quake was followed by several aftershocks of 4.7, 4, 3.6, 4.4, 3.7, 4.6 and 4.1 magnitude within half an hour.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency quoted local officials as saying that the landline and cellular phones in certain districts of Mashhad and nearby towns were disconnected from the network after the quake.

Some buildings in the quake zone have reportedly collapsed.

In the meantime, Tasnim news agency reported that four villages in the quake zone have been heavily damaged.

10:54 (GMT +4) An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale shook Iran's Mashhad city, located in eastern province of Khorasan Razavi, on Apr. 5.

The tremors occurred at 10:39 local time (GMT +3:30), according to a report from the Seismography Center affiliated with the Tehran University’s Geophysics Institute, Iran’s state-run IRINN TV reported.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located at 60.26 degrees of longitude and 35.83 degrees of latitude at a depth of 10 kilometers underground.

There was no immediate report on casualties or damage.

10:30 (GMT +4) A strong earthquake has hit Iran’s Mashhad city, IRNA reports.