Iran: Earthquake - Jan 2023

According to the Iranian Seismological Center, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit Firoragh village in Khoy city in West Azarbayejan province of North-Western Iran on 18 January 2023 at 13:19 p.m. local time at a depth of 12 km. At 13:19 p.m., a 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck the same location. So far, twenty-one aftershocks have been recorded, with the largest being 4.2 at 18:25 p.m. The nearest village, Vaar, is 10 kilometers away from the epicenter. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 that struck the same region on 5 October 2022, left 1,308 people injured.The most severely affected village during the last earthquake was Morteza Gholi Kendi, which is located in Khoy City. One province and one city (55 villages) make up the affected area, which has a total of about 10,284 households (41,426 people). In Khoy city, the Firoragh district has been hardest affected. The tremor has been felt by residents of the cities of Salmas, Chaldoran, Chaypareh, Poldasht, and Uroumia. Due to active faults in numerous locations of the country, Iran is prone to several disasters, including earthquakes. The activated fault in this location that generated the earthquake is known as Siyah Cheshme-Khoy. (IFRC, 7 Feb 2022)