DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The US Geological Survey says a magnitude 5.5 earthquake has struck in southern Iran near a nuclear plant, shaking Bahrain and other areas around the Arabian Gulf. There was no immediate report of damage or injuries.
The USGS says the quake struck at 0634 GMT some 100 kilometers, about 60 miles, east of Bushehr. That's home to the Bushehr Nuclear Power, the only operating nuclear power plant in Iran.
Iranian state television, citing officials, described the quake as a magnitude 5.9. Varying magnitudes are common immediately after a temblor.
Iranian state TV did not report any damage at Bushehr plant, which has seen other earthquakes in the past and is built to resist damage from a temblor. It put the earthquake's epicenter near the town of Kaki.
The Iran Red Cross described the epicenter as being in a sparsely populated area.
In Bahrain, an island kingdom off Saudi Arabia, people on social media said they felt the quake and evacuated from high-rise buildings.
The Bahrain Seismic station of the Meteorological Directorate had detected at 9:34 am Bahrain local time an earthquake, 243 km to the North East of Bahrain, with a magnitude of 5.7 Richter scale and with 41.8 km depth. Some people in Bahrain had felt the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/MtCCencA4e
— Weather of Bahrain (@WeatherBahrain) April 19, 2018
The USGS put the earthquake's depth at 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) below the surface. Shallow earthquakes often have broader damage.
A magnitude 5 earthquake can cause considerable damage.
Iran sits on major fault lines and is prone to near-daily earthquakes. In 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
The quake, recorded southwest of Shiraz, had no effect on UAE, NMC has tweeted.
— المركز الوطني للأرصاد (@NCMS_media) April 19, 2018
