Iran rocked by 5.9 magnitude earthquake, killing 5 and injuring hundreds

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At least five people were killed and more than 300 were injured after a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Iran on Friday.

According to Iran’s Seismological Center, the convulsion started at 2:17 a.m., in the eastern Azerbaijan province, which is around 250 miles from the country’s capital of Tehran.

More than 40 aftershocks affected the rural area in the Alborz Mountains, and residents rushed out of their homes in fear.

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State television reported that many of the injuries were caused while people were leaving their homes in fear--only 13 have been hospitalized.

A car lays smashed by debris from an earthquake in Varankesh village in Eastern Azerbaijan province, some 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of the capital Tehran, Iran, Friday, Nov. 8, 2019. The temblor struck Tark county in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan province early Friday. (Mohammad Zinali/Tasnim News Agency via AP)

Aid has been sent to the region, according to officials, who said the temblor destroyed 30 homes at its epicenter.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicenter was at a depth of 6.2 miles. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage.

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Iran is on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake a day on average.

In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.

A magnitude 7 earthquake that struck western Iran in 2017 killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.