A magnitude 5.9 earthquake in the city of Khoy, in northwestern Iran, has left at least three dead and hundreds injured.
The quake struck on Saturday night at a depth of 7 km (4.3 miles). Since then, more than 40 aftershocks have been recorded, the largest of which was magnitude 4.2.
According to Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, governor of West Azerbaijan province, at least 816 people were injured, some were transported to nearby counties for treatment,
Damage to buildings and some infrastructure has been reported as a result of the earthquakes, especially to residential buildings in dozens of villages around Khoy. Some suffered power outages. Map of Iran showing the city of Khoy
The city had experienced several smaller but sizeable earthquakes in recent months that caused no casualties and did not leave extensive damage.
The authorities have tried to strengthen vulnerable residential buildings. The governor said the efforts paid off and damage was only reported in areas where the buildings were older and not fortified.
The footage showed streets in Khoy packed with traffic on Saturday night as residents left their homes. Since then, many have been parked in temporary tents amid near-freezing winter temperatures.
Babak Mahmoudi, head of the country’s Relief and Rescue Organization, told state media that two planes full of aid left Tehran’s Mehrabad airport shortly after midnight, while dozens of trucks full of rescue items left for Tehran. Khoy from the neighboring provinces.
