Earthquake near Iran's Sisakht injures 31 people

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck southwest Iran this morning, the National Earthquake Information Center said.

The quake hit around 160 km northwest of the city of Shiraz at 0408 GMT. State media said it struck near the town of Sisakht, some 700 kilometers south of Tehran, causing people to rush out into the streets. 

At least 31 people were injured, while power and communication lines were disrupted, ISNA news agency reported.

Head of provincial emergency services Jalal Pouranfard said that 18 people were transferred to medical centers and another 13 received treatment.