Over 60 Injured in Sisakht Earthquake

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Sisakht in southwestern Iran on Wednesday night, leaving at least 63 injured, causing power blackouts and flattening buildings.
There were no fatalities but the quake has caused extensive material damage, Kohgilouyeh-Boyerahmad’s Governor General Hossein Kalantari was quoted as saying by IRNA.
Pointing to the significant damage inflicted on the city’s infrastructure by the powerful earthquake, he said, “Houses have suffered 10-100% damage.”
The quake struck at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) at 10:05 p.m. local time and its epicenter was located 10 kilometers east of Sisakht, in the southwestern province, according to Iran’s Seismological Center affiliated to the University of Tehran’s Institute of Geophysics.
“Reconstruction of Sisakht and nearby villages will be swiftly carried out so the city’s residents can live in safe houses again,” Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami said during his visit to the quake site.
Some 1,800 tents have been set up as temporary accommodation and aid agencies have provided basic food supplies and hygiene kits for affected citizens.
President Hassan Rouhani also expressed satisfaction that the natural disaster had caused no fatalities and said, “Considering the cold season, fast relief efforts are a top priority.”
Damages caused by the quake are still being assessed, but according to Kalantari, the extent of the damage is much more serious than initially “imagined”.
“We remain alongside the people until their problems have been resolved and I’ll spare no efforts,” Kalantari said.
The quake’s tremors were felt in the nearby cities of Yasuj, Gachsaran and Dehdasht.
In spring 2018, a quake of the same magnitude hit the same region. Sisakht, 35 kilometers west of Yasuj, has a population of 7,000.
Iran is among the most earthquake-prone countries around the world with several major fault lines.