Quake shakes Iran's oil-rich southwest

Tehran, Nov 20: A 5.1 magnitude earthquake jolted an area in Iran's oil-rich southwest today, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, official Iranian media said.

The quake occurred at 1050 hrs IST near the town of Ghaleh-tal in Khuzestan province, IRNA news agency said. ''There has been no immediate reports of possible casualties or damage,'' it said.

Khuzestan province, bordering southern Iraq, is heartland of the oil industry in the world's number four crude producer.

Natural disaster experts say oil-producing Iran is one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world because it is criss-crossed by several major faultlines.

Reuters
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