Series of 8 quakes strike Iran, Iraq

TEHRAN, Iran — A series of eight earthquakes hit the Iran-Iraq border area and rattled Baghdad on Thursday, apparent aftershocks of a temblor that struck the mountainous region in November and killed more than 530 people. Four people suffered minor injuries in Iran, state TV reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said seven of the quakes struck near the Iraqi city of Mandali, 120 km northeast of the Iraqi capital. Mandali is right on the border between the two nations. The eighth hit near Mehran in western Iran, about 90 km southeast of Mandali along the sparsely populated Zagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.

All the earthquakes struck within an hour of each other. Six had a preliminary magnitude of at least 5, while two registered at magnitude 4. Scientists consider earthquakes of magnitude 5 as moderate.

Iranian authorities offered similar figures for the earthquakes on state TV. All the information could change as scientists examine the data.

Iranian state TV said online that people rushed into the streets as the temblors hit. In Baghdad, people felt a quake shake the Iraqi capital, followed by what felt like aftershocks.

In November, a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the same region, killing over 530 people and injuring thousands in Iran alone. In Iraq, nine people were killed and 550 were injured, all in the country’s northern Kurdish region, according to the UN.

Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes.