Iran jolted by moderate, light earthquakes; 150 injured

Iran was jolted by a series of moderate and light earthquakes today, including a 5.9 magnitude temblor in a mountainous western region in which officials said some 150 people were injured.

The first temblor, measuring a magnitude of 4.6 rocked the town of Ruydar, in Hormozgan province, earlier in the day. The town is located some 940 kilometers, or 580 miles, south of the capital, Tehran.

It was followed shortly after by a 5.4 magnitude aftershock, according to the United States Geological Survey. Iran's semi-official news agency had initially reported the magnitude at 5.7.

No injuries were reported.

In the afternoon, a 5.9 magnitude quake rocked an area in western Iran near the border with Iraq in Kermanshah province.

The head of the country's agency that handles responses to emergencies and natural disasters, Pirhossein Kolivand, told state television that 146 people were injured, including 21 who were taken to hospitals for treatment.

Kolivand did not mention any fatalities and could not be reached by phone for further details.

Some houses in the region were damaged, and the earthquake caused a landslide that temporarily shut down a local road, the governor of Karmanshah, Houshang Bazvand, told semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Local residents reported multiple aftershocks through the day, said Morteza Salimi, an official with Iran's Red Crescent aid agency.

Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to regular earthquakes. A magnitude 7.2 quake hit western Iran in November, killing more than 600. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.