TEHRAN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 26 people were injured in a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that shook Tazeh Abad region in Iran's western province of Kermanshah near the border with Iraq on Sunday afternoon.
Local reports said that the tremor has caused damage to the buildings in Sarpol-e Zahaband, Paveh, Salas Babajani and Eslamabad-e Gharb cities and the villages in the province.
Scores of mild after-shake have trembled the region.
Houshang Bazvand, the governor of Karmanshah, told state television that 26 people had been reported injured in the earthquake and have received outpatient treatment.
People in the quake-hit areas rushed out of their houses, business centers and offices in panic.
In Kermanshah, the capital city of the province, the cars lined up in front of gas stations to fill up their tanks.
Emergency team and equipment, from Kermanshah and the adjacent provinces, were sent to the damaged areas.
Helicopters were also surveying the mountainous region. Hospitals in nearby cities and emergency centers were standing by in case more injured people were found.
The quake was felt in the neighboring provinces of Kordestan, Lorestan and Ilam and some border regions of Iraq.
The epicenter of the tremor, which took place at 2:37 p.m. local time (1007 GMT), was determined at the depth of 8 km, 34.654 degrees north latitude and 46.251 degrees east longitude.
Earlier on the day, another quake measuring 5.7 in magnitude shook Roydar city in Iran's southern Hormozgan province.
Roydar is located some 940 km south of the capital Tehran.
There were no reports of casualties or damages during the first hours after the earthquake, according to Tasnim news agency.
In November, a 7.2-magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing 620 and injuring over 12,000 others.
