Quakes Rattle Western Provinces

Five successive strong earthquakes, all measuring above 5 on the Richter scale, struck Iran's western provinces of Kermanshah and Ilam on Thursday, nearly two months after a massive temblor killed over 600 people in Kermanshah and displaced thousands of others. Since Thursday morning, nine powerful quakes have shaken Iran's western regions near the border with Iraq, including four measuring lower than 4 on the Richter scale, Tasnim News Agency reported. The consecutive tremors hit near the cities of Soumar and Gilan-e-Gharb in the province of Kermanshah and the city of Zarneh in Ilam province, injuring several people. On Nov. 12, a 7.3-magnitude quake hit Kermanshah, killing more than 620 people and injuring around 10,000 others, mainly in the city of Sarpol-e Zahab and the nearby villages.