Powerful earthquake jolts southern Iran

By  Trend

An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook Iranian southern province of Hormozgan on July 22, morning.

The tremors occurred at 9:37 local time (UTC ?+4:30), according to a report from the seismography center affiliated with Tehran University Geophysics Institute, Iran's state-run IRINN TV reported.

The earthquake's epicenter was located at 54.96 degrees longitude and 27.62 degrees latitude and a depth of 8 kilometers underground near the city of Ruydar.

Rescue forces have been dispatched to the affected areas, according to the report.

There is no immediate report on possible casualties or damages.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolted the Kermanshah province last November killing about 600 people, leaving even more injured.

The earthquake destroyed a big number of residential units in the urban and rural areas of the province.