Tasnim – An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale hit an area in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, injuring 75 people, a report said.

According to the Seismological Center of the Tehran University’s Institute of Geophysics, the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers at 05:11 p.m. local time (1341 GMT) on Sunday.

The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially put the magnitude of the quake at 5.9 but revised it later to 5.5.

Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s emergency services, said all but one of the 75 injured had been released after treatment following the earthquake in Gilan-e Gharb in Kermanshah province.

The cities of Qasr-e Shirin and Sarpol-e Zahab were also rattled.

According to Tasnim dispatches, special earthquake emergency response teams have been dispatched to the areas to assist in emergency response operations.

In November, a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook the same area, injuring more than 700 people, with most suffering minor wounds.

Iran sits astride major fault lines and is prone to frequent tremors. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake in southeastern Kerman province killed 26,000 people and flattened the historic city of Bam.