TEHRAN: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake shook a southern Iranian city, US seismologists said, with the tremor felt as far away as Dubai but no immediate reports of casualties.
The quake struck at around 10 a.m. (0430 GMT) and was centerd 66 km south of Qeshm by the Strait of Hormuz, the US Geological Survey said.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency put the quake’s magnitude slightly higher at 5.2 and said there were no initial reports of casualties or damage.
The quake also shook the larger port city of Bandar Abbas and was felt across the Gulf in Dubai, where residential and office towers shook for around 10 seconds but were not evacuated.
Iran stands on several seismic fault lines.
In April last year, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Iran and neighboring Pakistan, killing 40 people.
A massive quake in December 2003 struck the southern city of Bam, killing 26,000 people and destroying its ancient mud-built citadel.
Quake hits southern Iran; tremor felt in Dubai
Quake hits southern Iran; tremor felt in Dubai
