Two people lost their lives 22 others got injured after they fled their homes in panic following an earthquake of 5.1 magnitude that hit the northern part of Iran in the early hours on Friday, state media mentioned.
There were many mild aftershocks but not major damages due to the quake which struck post-midnight at the border of the provinces like Tehran and Mazandaran, the authorities further mentioned.
Earthquake hit northern Iran
Officials urged people who spent the night outdoors to observe social distancing to limit the spread of the coronavirus that has killed 6,486 and infected 103,135 in the middle eastern nation. They assured the public there was no shortage of petrol as people rushed to gas stations to fill up after the quake.
Among the dead were a 21-year-old woman in Tehran who suffered heart failure, and a 60-year-old man in the city of Damavand, east of the capital, killed by a head injury, officials said.
(With agency inputs)
