Iran's Bushehr Province Hit by 5.3-Magnitude Earthquake: Reports

A strong earthquake has hit the southern Iranian province of Bushehr, there was no immediate report on the number of possible casualties.

MOSCOW, December 30 (Sputnik) — A 5.3-magnitude earthquake has hit the country's southern Bushehr Province near the country's nuclear power plant, Iranian news agency IRNA reported Tuesday.

The earthquake hit the town of Shonbeh at 03:49 GMT. It damaged several buildings, but no information on casualties is available at this point, according to IRNA.

#Quake jolts sparsely populated area in #Iran http://t.co/wFCHPDdK0D

— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) December 30, 2014

A stronger 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit Bushehr Province in 2013, claiming the lives of 37 people and injuring another 850. However, the nuclear plant was not affected. A 7.7-magnitude earthquake, the country's deadliest, hit the northwest Gilan and Zanjan provinces in 1990. About 37,000 people were killed and more 100,000 were reportedly injured.