Gas Pipeline Breaks After Earthquake Rattles Iran

Tehran:At least 634 people were injured in the magnitude-6.4 earthquake that struck Iran's Kermanshah province, authorities said on Monday.

There has been no report of any fatal casualties, Xinhua news agency quoted Mahamoud Reza, president of Medical Science University of Kermanshah province, as saying.

According to the Iranian Seismological Centre, the epicentre of the earthquake, which took place on Sunday night in Sar Pol Zahab city, lied at a depth of 7 km, 34.38 degrees north latitude and 45.70 degrees east longitude.

Also, Iran's National Gas Company said in a statement that pipelines have been broken in Sar Pol Zahab and Gasr-e Shirin cities.

People should not be concerned about the gas supply, the announcement said. Iran's National Gas Company has started fuel supplies to people in the quake-hit area, it added.

All the schools and universities in Kermanshah province remained closed on Monday.

The quake was also felt in the neighbouring provinces of Lorestan and Ilam and Kordestan, as well as in the border areas of Iraq.

At least 161 aftershocks, ranging from 2.4 to 5.2 magnitude, have been registered in the region so far.

In November 2017, 211 people died in a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that hit the Iran-Iraq border.

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IANS