Earthquake in Iran, no Malaysians affected

PUTRAJAYA: No Malaysians were reported to be affected by the 5.9-magnitude earthquake that hit northwestern Iran near the city of Khoy (780 kilometres north of Tehran) on Saturday (Jan 28).

Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 1) said the Malaysian Embassy in Tehran was closely monitoring developments in the aftermath of the earthquake that reportedly killed at least three people and injured more than 800.

"Malaysia extends its deepest sympathies and condolences to the victims and families affected by the earthquake, as well as to the government and the people of Iran," the statement read.

As aftershocks were expected, it said Malaysians in Iran were advised to remain vigilant and to follow the latest updates and advisories issued by the local authorities.

Malaysians in Iran were also urged to register with the embassy via phone [phone] or ([phone] or email [e-mail].

In recent months, a string of high and medium-intensity earthquakes had hit provinces in southern and northern Iran, according to media reports.

Iran was located in a seismically active zone and had witnessed many catastrophic earthquakes in the past.

The most devastating earthquake to hit the country came in 2013 when at least 34,000 people died in the city of Bam in southeastern Kerman province. The quake measured 6.7 on the Richter scale. - Bernama