Earthquake hits Iran near Bushehr nuclear power plant

An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale jolted Emam Hassan city in southern province of Bushehr, about 110 kilometers northwest of Bushehr city, where Iran's only nuclear power plant is located.


According to the seismography center affiliated to Tehran University Geophysics Institute, the tremor occurred at 4:32 local time (GMT +4:30 hours) on June 1, with epicenter at 50.64 degrees latitude and 29.91 degrees longitude at a depth of 10 kilometers underground, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.


There was no immediate report on possible casualties or damage.


Two years ago an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale occurred in Bushehr province, leaving 37 dead and 850 injured.


Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating. The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale.


About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated around 27 towns and 1,870 villages.

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