A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran

A 5.5 magnitude earthquake struck the southern region of Hormozgan Province in Iran on Tuesday morning. The incident caused tremors to be felt in nearby provinces. The quake's epicenter was estimated to be approximately 61km to the north of Bandar Abbas, the provincial capital. There have been no immediate reports of damage or fatalities but damage may be possible near the epicenter. The comprehensive assessment of the damage is anticipated to take several hours.

According to the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ), the earthquake occurred at a depth of about 10km beneath the Earth's surface. Tremors extended across a broad area, affecting most of Hormozgan Province, southeastern Fars, and southwestern Kerman provinces. The country is crisscrossed with major geological fault lines, making it one of the most earthquake-prone nations globally, situated at the intersection of the Arabian, Indian, and Eurasian tectonic plates.

This earthquake underscores Iran's susceptibility to seismic events since the country has a tragic history of devastating earthquakes. Some of the incidents have resulted in the loss of thousands of lives, while billions of dollars have been spent in damages. For example, the 2003 magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Kerman province claimed the lives of 31,000 people, reducing the ancient city of Bam to ruins.