5.9 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey-Iran borders; 2 dead, 300 injured

Two people have been killed and dozens injured in a magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit northwest Iran on Saturday, Iranian media reported. January 2023 saw significant earthquakes in Asia, including a 7.7-magnitude tremor in Indonesia and a 3.8-magnitude tremor in Delhi-NCR.

"There are 122 injured so far in the city of Khoy... and unfortunately two dead," state television reported.

According to state media, hospitals in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran have been placed on high alert and rescue teams have been sent to the region.

An emergency official claimed to state TV that some of the impacted regions were experiencing snowfall, below-freezing temperatures, and power outages.

Iran has been hit by a slew of deadly earthquakes in recent years, and the country is crisscrossed by major geological fault lines.

What is an earthquake?
The intense shaking of the Earth's surface is referred to as an earthquake. The shaking is caused by the movement of the Earth's outermost layer. Although Earth seems to be a stable planet from space, it is really rather active under the surface.

Also, READ: Strongest earthquake ever: 9.5 magnitude quake shook ground for 10 minutes in 1960; read hair-raising details

An earthquake occurs when two slabs of the earth's tectonic plates unexpectedly move past one another. They move over a surface called a fault or fault plane. The hypocenter is the location under the Earth's surface where the earthquake originates, while the epicentre is the point directly above it on the surface.

(With inputs from Reuters)