Woman dies of shock after Iran earthquake

Iranian state media says a woman died from shock and dozens of other people suffered minor injuries after a 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted a town near Tehran.

The woman died in the town of Malard, the epicentre of the earthquake, about 40 km southwest of the capital. Her death was reported early today.

More than a dozen aftershocks rippled through the area after the quake, and many Iranians braved the cold to spend the night outside.

Iran is prone to earthquakes as it sits on major fault lines.

In November, a 7.2 magnitude killed more than 600 people in western Iran.
 

In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.