An earthquake measuring 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale jolted Masjed Soleyman County in the southwestern province of Khuzestan on Monday morning, killing one person, injuring over 100 people and causing extensive damage to buildings.
According to the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University, the temblor was registered at a depth of 17 kilometers.
Esmaeil Najjar, the head of Crisis Management Organization, said the only victim had died due to panic over the incident and a heart attack, ISNA reported.
Mohammad Amin Zargar, the head of Khuzestan's Emergency Center, said some the injured people were given outpatient treatment and the rest have been hospitalized.
"None of the wounded is in a serious condition," he said.
A number of injured people were in the neighboring cities of Izeh and Bagh-e-Malak.
No further casualties were reported until print time.
At least eight houses were destroyed by 50%, according to damage assessment teams dispatched to the oil-rich region.
Precise details of the extent of damage were not released until print time.
"Aid teams are on the alert and assessment processes are underway," Najjar said.
Gas and oil installations in the county have not been affected by the earthquake, according to Qasem Salehi, public relations chief of Masjed Soleyman's Oil And Gas Production Company.
“Historical buildings, monuments and museums in the city have not been damaged,” deputy director of Khuzestan's cultural heritage office said.
"Experts at Masjed Soleyman office are monitoring … and will collect moveable objects in museums and take security measures for non-portable works, if necessary," Ahmad Reza Hosseini added.
Iran sits astride several major seismic faults and is prone to frequent earthquakes.
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Kermanshah Province and the regions bordering Iraq in November 2017, killing over 500 people and injuring thousands of others.
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