4.5 magnitude earthquake reported near Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake Wednesday morning shook parts of southern Iran near the Bushehr nuclear power plant, according to multiple reports.

The earthquake was felt around 6:20 a.m. local time about 10.5 miles south-southeast of Borazjan, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake's epicenter was less than 30 miles from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, though no damage was reported at the facility, AFP reported.

Jahangir Dehqani, head of the provincial emergency department, told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency that rescue teams were sent to the site of the earthquake Wednesday morning, Bloomberg News reported. Officials found seven people injured, four of whom had to be hospitalized, AFP reported, citing IRNA.

No casualties were reported, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant, which opened in 2011 with the help of Russia, was built to withstand much stronger earthquakes than the one that struck early Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

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. Bam is also near the Bushehr nuclear plant, which wasn’t damaged at that time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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