YEREVAN (Armenpress)–A strong earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook the Near East on Wednesday, sending deep jolts through Northwestern Iran, South Eastern Turkey, Southern Armenia and Azerbaijani-Nakhichevan.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake originated in Northwestern Iran, with ripples reaching Armenia’s Goris, Sisian, Kapan, Yeghegnadzor and Jermuk.
Strong earthquakes are historically common in the region, which is crossed by several active fault lines.
On December 7, 1988, the northwest of Armenia was hit with a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that was followed by another earthquake four minutes later, measuring 5.8. Swarms of aftershocks of the Earthquake, having a magnitude of 5.0, continued for months in the area around Spitak.
The earthquake killed at least 25,000 people. The entire city of Spitak was destroyed and there was partial damage to the nearby cities of Gyumri and Vanadzor. The tremor also caused damage to many surrounding villages. The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant was also closed down due to the earthquake.