3 Killed, More Than 400 Injured After Earthquake Of 5.9 Magnitude Strikes Iran

447 people have suffered injuries. Iranian emergency officials said rescue teams were dispatched to the area in Iran's West Azerbaijan province and hospitals were put on alert.

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New Delhi: At least three people were killed and more than 400 people were injured after an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 hit northwest Iran near the border with Turkey on Saturday. According to Iran's news agency ISNA, 447 people have suffered injuries. Iranian emergency officials said rescue teams were dispatched to the area in Iran's West Azerbaijan province and hospitals were put on alert, Reuters reported citing state media.

An emergency official told state TV that it was snowing in some affected areas, with freezing temperatures and some power cuts were reported. The earthquake happened at 9:44 p.m., as per ISNA. The earthquake was triggered at a depth of seven kilometers under the ground.

Cold weather and the darkness of the night are causing high difficulty in rescue operations. Several officials, including the interior minister and rescue officials, have flown to the city of Khoy to monitor rescue efforts, ISNA reported. According to the reports, officials from the Energy Ministry were trying to restore power supply in some areas. 

People were forced to spend the night outdoors or in their cars in the cold winter. More than 10 aftershocks have struck the quake-hit areas so far. According to ISNA, the Koy hospital in has also suffered cracks. The news agency reported that two cities and 87 villages are affected by the quake.  Major geological faultlines crisscross Iran, which has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, as reported by Reuters. Khoy is a city and capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. No casualties have been reported yet.

In another incident, drones attacked a military plant in Iran's central city of Isfahan on Sunday, CNN reported. Though the explosion left some damage, there weren't any casualties, it said. Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) later said the explosion had been caused by "small drones".

According to the Iran's defence ministry, the attack took place at 10:30 pm local time. The military plant is about 440 kilometres south of Tehran.