Moderate Earthquake Hits Iranian Town

Iran’s state TV is reporting that a 5.4 magnitude earthquake has jolted a sparsely populated area in the eastern part of the country.

The Monday report says people poured into the streets out of fear after the quake hit Khauf town, some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) east of the capital Tehran, in the darkness of early morning.

There was no information on possible casualties and damage.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes, experiencing at least one slight quake a day on average.

In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam.