5.9-magnitude earthquake hits Southern Iran, rattles nuclear power plant

A moderately strong 5.9-magnitude earthquake on Thursday hit Iran's southern region of Bushehr, home to the country's only nuclear power plant, without causing casualties or damage, media reported.

"The earthquake had no effect on the activity of the plant," Mahmoud Jafari, project manager at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, said according to the Telegram news channel of Iran's state television.

The University of Tehran's seismology centre said the epicentre of the earthquake that hit at 0634 GMT was in the sparsely populated Kaki region, around 80 kms from the Bushehr plant.

The head of emergency services said no one was killed or wounded in the quake, media reported.

Bushehr has a 1,000 megawatt reactor built by Russia that became operational in 2011 and reached full capacity the following year.

Iran sits atop several fault lines and has been hit by a series of earthquakes since November 2017, when a 7.3-magnitude tremor killed 620 people in the western province of Kermanshah and eight in Iraq.

Over 530 people killed in eight earthquakes along Iran-Iraq border

A series of eight earthquakes hit the Iran-Iraq border area and rattled Baghdad on Thursday, apparently the aftershocks of a temblor that struck the mountainous region in November and killed over 530 people.
Four people suffered minor injuries in Iran, state television reported.
The US Geological Survey said seven of the quakes struck near the Iraqi city of Mandali, 120 kilometers northeast of the Iraqi capital. Mandali is right on the border between the two nations.
The eighth hit near Mehran in western Iran, about 90 kilometers southeast of Mandali along the sparsely populated Zagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.
All the earthquakes struck within an hour of each other, beginning at 0659 GMT. Six had a preliminary magnitude of at least 5, while two registered at magnitude 4. Scientists consider earthquakes of magnitude 5 as moderate.
Iranian authorities offered similar figures for the earthquakes on state television.

All the information could change as scientists examine the data.
Iranian state television said online that people rushed into the streets as the temblors hit. In Baghdad, people felt a quake shake the Iraqi capital, followed by what felt like aftershocks.
All the earthquakes struck at a depth of 10 kilometers , according to the USGS. Earthquakes at magnitude 5 can cause considerable damage. The temblors also all were very shallow, which causes more ground shaking and potential damage, particularly in places without strict building codes.
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7.3 magnitude earthquake at Iran-Iraq border kills over 400, injures 7,235

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border killed over 400 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast, authorities said on Monday.

Iran's western Kermanshah province bore the brunt of the temblor Sunday night, with authorities saying the quake killed 407 people in the country and injured 6,700. Kermanshah is a rural, mountainous region where residents rely mainly on farming.

In Iraq, the earthquake killed at least seven people and injured 535, all in the country's northern Kurdish region, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry.

The quake was centred 31 kilometres outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the most recent measurements from the US Geological Survey. It struck at 9:48 pm Iran time, just as people began retiring for the night. It could be felt on the Mediterranean coast, some 1,000 kilometres away.

The earthquake struck 23.2 kilometres below the surface, a shallow depth that can amplify damage. Magnitude 7 earthquakes can be highly destructive.

Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of people fleeing their homes. More than 100 aftershocks followed.
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Tremors felt in Himachal's Mandi; no casualties

An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Mandi region of Himachal Pradesh on Friday, an official said in Shimla. No loss of life or damage to property was reported.

The tremors were recorded at 8.07 am, with its epicentre in the Mandi region, Meteorological Office Director Manmohan Singh said.

On October 2, another mild earthquake was recorded in the Chamba region.

The state had suffered the most devastating quake in 1905 in the Kangra Valley, killing over 20,000 people.
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Over 60 dead after 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Mexico

At least 65 people were killed today when a powerful, 7.1-magnitude quake hit Mexico, authorities said, increasing a previous toll given after confirming more 16 deaths in and around Mexico City.

The state of Morelos, just south of the capital, was hardest hit with 42 deaths, according to its governor.

Puebla, a town southeast of Mexico City, saw 11 deaths, while Mexico state, to the west of the capital, recorded eight deaths.

Four deaths were confirmed in Mexico City itself according to official reports, but more were feared there as rescue crews and volunteers clawed through the rubble of several collapsed buildings. The megapolis is home to 20 million people.
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Strong 7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes Mexico City

A powerful earthquake shook Mexico City today, causing panic among the megalopolis' 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake.

The US Geological Survey put the quake's magnitude at 7.1 while Mexico's Seismological Institute said it measured 6.8 on its scale.

The institute said the quake's epicenter was seven kilometers west of Chiautla de Tapia, in the neighboring state of Puebla.

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6.2-magnitude quake hits western Indonesia, no tsunami alert issued

A strong 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of western Indonesia today, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The quake hit the Mentawai islands in West Sumatra province about 75 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital Padang at 1706 GMT, at a depth of 49 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey.

The disaster agency said officials were checking for damage and casualties.

John Nedy, a resident of Padang, said people fled their homes when the quake struck, and most were reluctant to return for the time being.

"The earth quake was very strong. Some people say it's safe now to go back to our homes, but most people are still afraid," Nedy told AFP.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide.

An earthquake struck the country's western Aceh province in December 2016, killing more than 100 people, injuring many more and leaving tens of thousands homeless.
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Earthquake: 6.7-magnitude quake kills 2 in Greece, could trigger Tsunami

Two people were killed today on the Greek island of Kos after a strong 6.7 magnitude quake hit the region, the ANA news agency reported.

The quake caused injury and damage, the agency cited the island's mayor as saying.

It struck at 1:31 am (local time), with an epicentre approximately 10.3 kilometers south of Bodrum, Turkey and 16.2 kilometers east of Kos.

It had a depth of 10 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.''

Greece's fire service said it had rescued three injured persons from a damaged building.

The chairman of Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Mehmet Halis Bilden, warned citizens about incoming aftershocks, and added there were no casualties or major damage in Turkey.

The European quake agency EMSC said a small tsunami could be caused by the quake, but Turkish broadcasters cited officials saying large waves were more likely.
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