Three die in Iran earthquake

Three people were killed when a 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook the remote north-east of Iran overnight, state TV reported today.

Forty others were injured.

The quake struck at 11.53pm local time (7.23pm Irish time) in Semnan province.

The report said two children and a woman died and 15 homes were damaged. The death toll was not higher because the area is sparsely populated.

The US Geological Survey put the quake’s strength at magnitude 5.7.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and on average experiences at least one slight earthquake a day.

A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic south-eastern city of Bam in 2003, killing 26,000 people.