TEHRAN: A magnitude 5 earthquake has struck southern Iran.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Center says the 5.5 magnitude quake struck at 11:10 a.m. on Wednesday in Iran, some 125 kilometers or about 77 miles west of the port city of Bandar Abbas.
It said the temblor struck at a depth of 10 kilometers, or 6.2 miles. The US Geological Survery put the quake's magnitude at 5.3.
Iranian state TV described the quake as a magnitude 5.4 but offered no reports of injuries or damage.
A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences one earthquake per day on average.
In 2003, a magnitude 6. 6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.