TEHRAN, May 8 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed in the 5.1-magnitude earthquake that hit Damavand town, 69 km to the east of Iran's capital Tehran, at 00:48 local time Friday (2018 GMT Thursday).
The spokesman of Iran's Emergency Organization was quoted by Tasnim news agency as saying that a 60-year-old man was killed by the quake.
At the same time, 11 others, including five from the Gilavand town and six in the eastern part of Tehran, were injured while they were trying to flee in panic, the report said.
The epicenter of the earthquake, at the depth of 7 km, was 35.777 degrees north latitude and 52.045 degrees east longitude, according to Iran's Seismological Center.
So far, eight aftershocks, ranging from 2.5 to 3.9 magnitude, have jolted the region, the center said.
The tremor caused alarm among some residents in Tehran, who rushed out of their houses in panic. Some families were spending the night inside their cars outdoors.
The swarm of cars on the streets resulted in heavy traffic in the populated areas of the capital. Also, long queues were seen in front of the gas stations in the western part of Tehran.
In the early hours of the incident, the speed of internet in Tehran dropped due to an increase in the use of social networks.
The quake was felt in the provinces of Alborz, Qom, Qazvin and Mazandaran in the neighbourhood of Tehran, Iran's Red Crescent Society was quoted by official IRNA news agency as saying.
Five assessment teams of the country's emergency organization as well as the rescue operators have been dispatched to the quake-hit regions, Tasnim reported.
Saeed Taheri, chief of Red Crescent Society of Damavand town, advised local residents to leave their houses and find a safe shelter, said the report. Enditem
