Iran: 5.1 magnitude earthquake near Bushehr nuclear power plant

An earthquake of magnitude 5.1 has rattled Iran on December 27 near the Bushehr nuclear power plant which is in the southwest of the country. According to the US Geological Survey, the quake jolted villages near Kalameh city which is approximately 45 Kilometers from the nuclear power plant.

Earthquake near Iran's first nuclear plant

According to emergency services, no damage has been reported yet. Construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant was first started in 1975 by a German company but was disrupted by the Islamic revolution of Iran in 1979. The construction was later handed over to the Russian Ministry for Atomic Energy. On November 11 in 2014, Iran and Russia had signed a deal to construct two new nuclear reactors at the Bushehr site and construction finally started in 2017 and is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

The Bushehr was the first civilian nuclear power plant in the Middle East. In 2013 the operational control of the Nuclear power plant was transferred Russia to Iran. Last month an earthquake claimed the lives of five people and injured 300 in Tark County in the northwest of the country. The Earthquake that occurred on November 7 had at least 40 aftershocks.

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In related news, an earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck Afghanistan on Friday, December 20, resulting in tremors being felt by people across the northern areas of India including Delhi. The earthquake tremors were felt in the national capital on Friday evening. In fact, people in the rest of North India including the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir also experienced tremors.

As per the reports, the impact was felt even in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Early reports suggest that the epicentre of the earthquake was the Hindukush region in Afghanistan. It is 150 km east of Kunduz in Afghanistan. The earthquake was of 6.8 magnitude, according to some estimates. However, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that its magnitude was 6.3. 

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