Earthquake of magnitude 5.2 strikes near Iran's capital

An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 struck a town near the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday night, state media reported, but there were no initial reports of casualties or significant damage.

Last month, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit villages and towns in Iran’s western Kermanshah province along the mountainous border with Iraq, killing 620 people and injuring thousands of others.

Authorities said they were gathering information about the latest quake, which hit in the late evening at a depth of 7 km (4 miles). They asked residents to remain calm but be prepared for possible aftershocks.

The epicenter of the quake was 3 km from the city of Malard, and not far from Meshkin Dasht, which sits about 50 km west of Tehran, state news agency IRNA said.

The quake was also felt in Alborz, Qazvin, Qom, Gilan and Markazi provinces, according to state media.

“There have been no reports of casualties or damage,” Behnam Saeedi, a spokesman for Iran’s National Disaster Management Organization, was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency.

In Tehran and other cities, residents flooded into streets and parks, fearing a stronger aftershock. Some set up tents to spend the night outside, and lit fires.