A strong earthquake measuring around 5.0 magnitude shook Iran's western province of Ilam near the Iraqi border on Wednesday, thought there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The tremor happened at 12:46 local time at a depth of 11.4 km near Saleh Abad which is about 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) from province capital Ilam and 136 kilometers (84 miles) from Kermanshah Province where an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude on November 26, 2018 injured more than 700 and destroyed many buildings.
Iranian sources put the tremor at magnitude of 5 while and the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) measured the quake at 4.9, revised down from an initial estimate of 6.3.
According to Tehran University Geophysics Institute several aftershocks have jolted the region the largest of which was of a 3.5 magnitude at 13:09 local time at a depth of 10 km.
The governor of Ilam Province has said that so far there have been no casualties.
The governor of Mehran County which is also in the affected area said there are still no reports of damages or casualties but officials and Red Crescent teams have rushed to the area to investigate. The Director of the Red Crescent of Ilam Province has said that so far there have not been any reports of damages.