Magnitude 6.3 earthquake strikes western Iran

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, the same area where another temblor last year killed over 600 people. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Sunday night’s earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran’s Kermanshah province, which suffered half of the casualties from last year’s quake and where some still remain homeless.

State television in Iran reported the quake, saying it had a magnitude of 6.4. Varying magnitudes are common in the immediate aftermath of a temblor.

The earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers, making it very shallow. Shallow earthquakes have broader damage.

The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people.

Last year’s earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab had a magnitude of 7.3.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.