Photos: People in the streets of Tabriz after strong quakes hit the region

08/11/12

Photos by Farshid Tighehsaz, ISNA

People in the city of Tabriz in northwestern Iran sought refuge in the streets after two strong quakes hit the region. According to Tehran University's Seismological Center, the first earthquake had a magnitude of 6.2 with its epicenter some 60 kilometers from Tabriz. That was followed by a second earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0.

View Larger Map Tabriz, the capital city of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, sits at altitude of 1,350 meters above sea level at the junction of the Ghuri Chay and Aji Chay rivers. It has been the second largest city in Iran until the late 1960s and one of its former capitals and residence of the crown prince under the Qajar dynasty. The city has proven extremely influential in the country's recent history. With a population of about 1,600,000 [2007 census], Tabriz is Iran's Fourth largest city.

Related Report: Quake Hits Northwestern Iran

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted the county of Ahar in the East Azerbaijan province, Northwestern Iran, on Saturday.

The epicenter of the quake was located in an area 46.8 degrees in longitude and 38.4 degrees in latitude.

There is still no official report on the number of possible casualties or damage to properties by the quake.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst in recent times hit Bam in southeastern Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people - about a quarter of its population - and destroying the city's ancient mud-built citadel.

The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages.

Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the capital's 14 million residents fear a major quake.