Shiraz, Fars Prov, Sept 10, IRNA-An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale hit outskirts of the city of Lar in the southern province of Fars on Sunday.

The provincial seismological base, affiliated to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 12:27 hours local time (08:57 GMT).

The quake was epicentered in an area measuring 54.62 degrees in longitude and 27.77 degrees in latitude, the report added.

The quake-prone Lar is located at 400 km south of Shiraz, the capital of Fars province.

Head of the provincial Natural Disasters Headquarters, Hamid Taqizadeh told IRNA that the quake caused panic among the residents of the city.

He added that parts of the old section of the city were destroyed by the quake.

No report has yet been received on possible loss of life or damage to property by the earthquake, the official said.

Iran is often hit by quakes of varying magnitudes as it sits on some of the world's most active seismic faultlines.