Moderate quake struck at the relatively shallow depth of 38km about 50km from the facility

This article is more than 8 months old

This article is more than 8 months old

A magnitude-5.1 earthquake has struck near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant on Friday, according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake was moderate, which can cause considerable damage, and was centred 53km (33 miles) east of Bushehr, a nuclear facility on Iran’s southern coast of the Persian Gulf.

The quake struck at 5.23am local time (0153GMT), at the relatively shallow depth of 38km.

There were no immediate reports of damage, Iranian state television reported. “No reports have been received on any possible damage from the earthquake,” it said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest President Hassan Rouhani visiting the Bushehr nuclear power plant in 2015. Photograph: Mohammad Berno/AP

A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage. The Bushehr nuclear power plant was designed to withstand much stronger earthquakes.

“No damage has been reported to us so far based on the checks by the Red Crescent Society, village councillors and officials in the area,” Jahangir Dehqan, the head of the provincial emergency department, told the semi-official news agency ISNA.

Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. Bam is near the Bushehr nuclear plant, which wasn’t damaged at that time.

In 2019 Iran announced plans to enrich uranium beyond the levels allowed under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal after Donald Trump pulled the US out last year. Tehran says its nuclear programme is entirely for civil nuclear purposes.



