Severe Earthquake in Azerbaijan Causes People in Ardabil to Take to the Streets

The state news agency IRNA reported that a 5.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Azerbaijan on Friday morning, September 13, and was felt in many cities of Ardabil and East Azerbaijan provinces, causing "people to rush into the streets in fear." According to the report, the earthquake also resulted in broken windows and "cracked" walls of some homes in the Parsabad and Bilasavar counties of Ardabil province. According to the seismic monitoring center of the Geophysics Institute at Tehran University, the earthquake struck at 9:13:38 AM at a depth of 10 kilometers, with its epicenter in the city of "Qabala" in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Ali Islami, the director of crisis management in Ardabil province, stated that the earthquake's intensity was such that there is a possibility of damage to some areas. Mehdi Ahmadi, the governor of Parsabad Mogan, also mentioned that initial reports indicated the earthquake caused cracks in some residential homes and dilapidated buildings. According to Mr. Ahmadi, there have been no reports of casualties or "severe financial" damages due to this earthquake so far. Meanwhile, Aram Halim, the governor of Bilasavar Mogan, reported that there were no casualties in this county, but some old buildings had cracked walls. According to IRNA, Mir Ali Rahimzadeh, the acting governor of Germi Mogan, stated that due to the distance of the earthquake's epicenter from this county, buildings in the area were not damaged. The counties of Parsabad, Bilasavar, and Germi Mogan are located in the northern part of Ardabil province, near the border with Azerbaijan. In Esfand 1393, a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in Azerbaijan was felt in parts of Ardabil province. Additionally, in Mordad 1391, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Ahar county and a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in Varzeqan county in East Azerbaijan province resulted in approximately 300 deaths, over 2,000 injuries, and "137,000" affected individuals.