Tehran, Mar. 5, (dpa/GNA) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 on Tuesday shook the border region of south-east Iran and southern Pakistan, an area which has recently been affected by flooding.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the quake occurred in the province of Sistan and Balochistan at a depth of 35 kilometres at 0420 GMT. There were no initial reports of casualties or damage.
Unusually heavy rain had led to major flooding in the economically poor province over the past few days. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, the storm caused the electricity and water supply to collapse in dozens of towns. Thousands of people are affected.
In neighbouring Pakistan, which borders the province, there were also recent storms with devastating floods.
Thousands of residents of the economically important Pakistani harbour city of Gwadar were evacuated to safety last week. Dozens of people across the country lost their lives in the extreme weather conditions.
The region where the Arabian, Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet is affected by frequent earthquakes. According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 people died in a devastating series of earthquakes in neighbouring Afghanistan in autumn 2023.
GNA