A 5.5 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Iran on Wednesday. The quake resulted in five deaths and at least 10 injuries, with the numbers expecting to rise.
When the quake hit, people ran from their homes as the trembling caused several walls and buildings to fall. The collapses left people stranded under rubble. in various villages in the Zahan disctrict in South Khorasan province, according to Reuters.
Five dead bodies and at least ten injured people were found by emergency workers according to Tehran's deputy emergency services director Mohammad Sarvar. He believes the death toll will rise and workers continue to search the rubble.
At least 15 teams from Iran's Red Crescent Society were sent to the affected areas to search for trapped victims.Doctors were also on hand in the provincial capital of Birjand to treat injured people.
Since the earthquake struck, there have been at least 12 aftershocks.
The United States Geological survey said the earthquake had a shallow depth of 3.3 miles. It's center was located at 48 miles north-northeast of Birjand which borders Afghanistan. The earthquake was originally recorded with a 6.0 magnitude but was downgraded to a strong 5.5.
This isn't the first devastating earthquake that Iran has seen in recent years. In 2003 a 6.6 mangitude quake struck which destroyed the city of Bam and killed 25,000 people.
Even more recently, two earthquakes struck northwestern Iran and killed 300 people.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
