2 dead as 5.9-magnitude earthquake shakes western Iran

By Ali Jawad and Arif Yusuf

TEHRAN

A 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck western Iran's Kermanshah province early Sunday, killing two people and injuring hundreds, according to Iran's Emergency and Natural Disaster Agency.

In a statement, the agency said the epicenter of the quake was almost 6 miles from the city of Tazehabad near Iraqi border.

Kermanshah governor Houshang Bazvand told the state-run television several aftershocks were reported in the area after the powerful quake.

He said rescue teams were dispatched to the area and the injured were taken to hospitals.

The shake was also felt in northern Iraq.

“A 6-magnitude quake jolted the cities of Sulaymaniyah, Saladin, Kirkuk, Diyala and parts of Iraq,” Ali Abdul Khaleq of Iraq’s Meteorological Organization and Seismology told Anadolu Agency.

No casualties were reported in Iraq.

Around 620 people were killed when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook Kermanshah in western Iran in November, 2017.