Earthquake hits Azerbaijan

On 15 November an earthquake hit Azerbaijan damaging over 130 homes and one school. According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), the epicenter of the 5.1 magnitude quake was located in the Agdam region of Azerbaijan, near the frontline of the Karabakh conflict.

Ragub Mammadov, Head of the Agdam District Executive Authority, reported that most of the damage occurred in the village of Chemenli where 36 homes were affected.

The earthquake was also felt in surrounding areas. At present, the extent of the damage is still unclear. There have been no reported fatalities, with the Trend Agency reporting that information on any wounded in the quake has yet to be received.

Gurban Yetirmishli, head of the Seismological Service Center of the Azerbaijani National Academy of Sciences said that the tremors continued into the early hours of 16 November, with about 30 reported aftershocks. Yetirmishli denies any connection between the Agdam earthquake and the Devistatin earthquake that took place on the Iran-Iraq border.

• A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Iran on 13 November. According to the latest data, more than 430 people died with an estimated 7 000 being injured.

• The last powerful earthquake to hit Azerbaijan was on 25 November 2000. The quake reached 6.1 on the Richter scale, with the epicenter in the Caspian Sea near Baku. Thirty-one people were killed.