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At least 70 injured, 300 houses damaged in 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Iran

The country sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity

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At least 70 people were injured on Wednesday when an 5.8 magnitude earthquake jolted northwestern Iran near the border with Turkey, state media said.

The quake struck near the city of Khoy in West Azerbaijan province at 13:38 pm (1008 GMT), at a shallow depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The Seismological Center of the University of Tehran said the earthquake was of 5.4 magnitude and 12 kilometres (7.45 miles) deep.

At least "70 people were injured" trying to escape to safety and more than 300 houses in 15 villages were damaged, state television said, citing officials from the area.

Iran sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity.

In February 2020, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled the western village of Habash-e Olya killed at least nine people over the border in neighbouring Turkey.

Iran's deadliest recorded quake was a 7.4-magnitude tremor in 1990 that killed 40,000 people in the country's north, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless.

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