Two relatively powerful earthquakes, accompanied by a series of aftershocks, struck Iran’s southern Khuzestan Province early Thursday, causing injuries, disrupting essential services, and damaging homes.
The tremors were part of a seismic cluster affecting Izeh, Lali, Haftkel, and Masjed Soleyman. Khuzestan is the main oil producing region of Iran.
The first earthquake, recorded at 5.6 magnitude, hit Haftkel at 7:32 a.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the University of Tehran’s Institute of Geophysics.
The German Research Centre for Geosciences reported the quake as a 5.7 magnitude.
A second quake, measured at 4.8 magnitude, followed 21 minutes later in Masjed Soleyman. Officials reported 12 earthquakes in the region, with aftershocks ranging from 3.2 to 3.5 magnitude.
“In total, 16 people have been injured. Except for one individual with a broken leg, all were treated on an outpatient basis,” Mohammad Hossein Sarmast, head of Ahvaz University of Medical Sciences, told local media.
Authorities highlighted water, electricity, and gas disruptions in Masjed Soleyman, where 33 homes suffered structural damage. Ali Abdollahi, Director General of Crisis Management for Khuzestan Governorate, reported natural gas outages in parts of Masjed Soleyman, alongside the closure of roads to two villages and gas network disruptions.
Aerial assessments of mountainous areas are underway to evaluate the damage, said Aref Sharhani, spokesperson for Khuzestan Emergency Center.
Masjed Soleyman Governor Peyman Molaei added that emergency teams and the Red Crescent have been deployed to assist affected areas.
The tremors were felt in cities including Ahvaz, Shushtar, and Hamidiyeh. While emergency responders reported no fatalities, the recurring seismic activity highlights the region's vulnerability.
In the early hours of November 10, a 4.1-magnitude earthquake struck Qaleh-ye Khvajeh County and parts of Khuzestan Province.
On October 4, another earthquake measuring 5.7 occurred in Chelgerd, on the border of Khuzestan and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces, damaging houses in 270 villages and 107 schools across the two provinces.
Officials from the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Energy announced that the Karun River dam chain in Khuzestan Province sustained no damage during the earthquakes on Thursday and there were no disruptions to operations in the oil regions.
Iran, which sits on major fault lines, experiences frequent earthquakes. Notable examples include the devastating 2003 Bam earthquake, which killed tens of thousands, and a 5.9-magnitude tremor in Khoy in 2022, leaving three dead and injuring over 800.
The United Nations estimates that Iran experiences an average of 10,000 earthquakes annually, making robust disaster management efforts crucial in this seismically active region.
