Earthquake injures 40 in Iran

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake occurred in Abdanan, an Iranian city bordering Iraq on Monday, injuring about 40 people.

Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that the quake caused widespread destruction in rural areas cutting off water, electricity and phone lines.

Mohammad Reza Morvarid, the local governor, said severe destruction was witnessed in rural areas close to the epicentre, about 40 kilometers from a major Iranian oil exploration and production facilities.

“Many people have been injured and many buildings have been damaged,” he told the Associated Press news agency.

Though there were no reports of death, eight villages were reportedly affected, while several homes in the community were destroyed.

Iran sits on a series of seismic fault lines and experiences one slight quake a day on average.