First Fatal Quake of Year Kills Four in Northeast

July 5, 2024

At least four people were killed June 18 and more than 120 others injured in a magnitude 5.0 earthquake that jolted Kashmar County in Khorasan Razavi province. Out of those injured, 35 were hospitalized while the rest were discharged after receiving treatment on the spot, the stateowned Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Kashmar Governor Hojjatollah Shariatmadari as saying.

He said two of the victims died after they were hit by falling debris from a building facade, while the other two died when a building near the epicenter in Zendehjan village collapsed, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The quake occurred at 1:24 p.m. local time at a relatively shallow depth of 6 kilometers. It damaged several buildings and cars, according to Shariatmadari. Moniri, managing director of Khorasan Razavi’s Red Crescent Society, told IRNA that two families were trapped under rubble in Zendehjan and rescuers were pulling them from the rubble. It was the first quake with any fatalities in Iran since January 2023.

The last quake with more than just single digit deaths was seven years ago when a quake in Kermanshah in November 2017 killed 620 people. Kashmar County is located 230 kilometers southwest of Mashhad and has a population of 163,000.