By AFP
UA 5.9 magnitude earthquake killed three people and injured more than 800, most of them lightly, on Saturday evening in a mountainous region of northwestern Iran, near the border with Turkey.
According to the Seismological Center of the University of Tehran, the earthquake struck at 9:44 p.m. local time (7:14 p.m. Brussels time) the city of Khoy, in the Iranian province of West Azerbaijan.
Three people were killed while the number of injured was estimated at 816 injured by the governor of the province, Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian, quoted by the Irna agency. A previous report, given overnight, reported two dead and 580 injured.
Homes in 70 villages were damaged by 20 to 80 percent and the damage in urban areas is greater than in previous earthquakes that hit the region, said Mr. Motamedia. More than 20 aftershocks caused panic among the inhabitants, who left their homes despite the winter conditions.
