Tremor felt in Kuwait … no damage reported yet – Quake hits Iran

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KUWAIT CITY, July 8, (Agencies): The State of Kuwait felt earlier on Monday the effects of an earthquake, which occurred in western Iran, leading to a tremor that did not cause any reported damages.

The National Seismic Network, a Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) affiliate, confirmed that a 5.9-mangitude earthquake hit western Iran, causing the tremor felt in Kuwait. The epicenter of the earthquake in Iran was 10 kms in depth and it occurred 256 kms from Kuwait City, it added.

The network indicated that several aftershocks were also registered at 4.6 and 5.2 magnitude; however, the general populace did not feel them. In reaction to the tremor, which lasted for several seconds, a number of ministries and the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) issued statements to announce that no damages were reported because of the quake. The statements confirmed state bodies’ readiness to face any emergency as result of any natural disasters.

Meanwhile, the KFSD released a statement to refute news and photos circulating on Social Media platforms regarding damage to one of the commercial buildings in Kuwait city. The directorate affirmed that some of the photos on social media showed the alleged damage; however, it confirmed that the building was safe and no damage was visible. It went on to say that the photo showed a reflection of the sun on the building’s windows and not a crack due to the earthquake. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Electricity and Water issued a statement, assuring that the tremor did not cause any damage to the state’s installations. Iran, through the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), confirmed that an earthquake hit a city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

Revealed
In a recent announcement, IRNA revealed that one individual was killed and four others were injured due to the earthquake. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake per day on average.

The Monday report by the official IRNA news agency said that the quake hit near the town of Masjid Soleiman in Khuzestan province, some 450 kms (280 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran. A local witness Iman Nazarpour told The Associated Press that the quake damaged buildings in the center of town.

Another witness Rahim Zaheri said some older buildings had collapsed, with others showing cracks. The town is where the first oil well in Iran and the Middle East was explored. State TV said rescue teams were deployed to surrounding rural areas, too. The depth of the quake was 17 kms, according to IRNA. Several aftershocks were reported.

The US Geological Survey says the quake was centered 28 kms (17 miles) southeast of the town, and at a depth of 10 kms. Over the last 10 years, Kuwait has been affected by the hundreds of earthquakes that struck neighboring countries, including eight 5-magnitutde quakes. The 5.9-magnitutde earthquake that hit western Iran on Monday is the most recent tremor that has been felt by people in Kuwait. Kuwait was last hit by a temblor on Jan 6, 2019, due to a quake measuring 5.9 degrees on the Richter scale that shocked the Iranian-Iraqi border.

On Nov 28, 2018, Kuwait was affected by two aftershocks measuring 5.1 and 4.6 degrees on the Richter scale respectively, following a 6.3-magnitude quake that hit northeast of Baghdad. On April 19, 2018, Kuwaiti people, especially in coastal areas, felt a 5-9-magnitude quake that struck Iran’s southern Bushehr Province. On Nov 12, 2017, a strong quake measuring 7.5 degrees on the Iraqi-Iranian border was felt by Kuwaiti people. Its magnitude was between four and five degrees.

The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) monitored a 5-magnitude tremor on Aug 18, 2014, having been felt by some people. The epicenter was 590 kms north of Kuwait. The National Network for Seismic Monitoring monitored a strong temblor measuring 7.8 degrees on the Richter scale on April 16, 2013. It shook southeast of Iraq near the Iranian-Pakistani border, 605 kms northeast of the Omani capital, Muscat.

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