Earthquake of 5.9 magnitude hits Iran, killing three and injuring over 800

An earthquake of 5.9 magnitudes struck northwest Iran near the border with Turkey late Saturday (January 28), killing at least three people and injuring over 800 others. According to the University of Tehran's Seismologic Centre, the earthquake hit the city of Khoy in the West Azerbaijan province at 18.14 GMT (around 11.44 pm IST). Speaking to the IRNA news agency, West Azerbaijan governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian said the incident left three dead and 816 injured.

Following the earthquake, Iran's interior minister Ahmad Vahid travelled to Khoy to observe the situation, the IRNA report said. Iran has suffered devastating earthquakes in recent years as the country sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity.

This earthquake in Khoy comes days after a 5.8 magnitude quake struck the city, injuring hundreds. Officials said that more than 300 houses in 15 villages were damaged, according to a report by the news agency AFP.

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Nearly three years back, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake rattled the western village of Habash-e Olya, killing at least nine people across the border in Turkey. Iran saw its deadliest earthquake in 1990- a 7.4-magnitude tremor that killed 40,000 people, injured another 300,000 and left half a million homeless, the report said.

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