Magnitude 5.6 earthquake recorded in Iraq’s Basra

A magnitude earthquake struck the Iranian southern city of Bushehr on Sunday, 250 kilometers from the Iraqi border, the Iraqi General Authority for Meteorology and Seismic Monitoring announced.

The authority said the tremor recorded 5.6 on the Richter scale, and was felt by residents in Basra, Iraqi News Agency reported.

“We call on citizens to take caution, stay away from rumors and false news, and to abide by the seismic authority’s instructions commandments,” it added.

The quake struck at a depth of 11 kilometers, with the epicenter near the town of Khesht, at around 7 PM (1430 GMT). Several weaker aftershocks followed, according to Iran’s seismological center.

The United States Geological Survey put the initial tremor at 5.4-magnitude.

There were no reports of casualties or damage, about two hours after the quake.

Rescue and survey teams were sent to the area and hospitals put on alert, Fars province’s head of crisis management Rahim Azadi told state television.

Iran sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity.

In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake in the southeast levelled the ancient mud-brick city of Bam and killed at least 31,000 people.

Iran’s deadliest was a 7.4-magnitude quake in 1990 that killed 40,000 people in the north, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless.