Earthquake of 5.3 magnitude strikes Iran, at least 38 injured

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake hit western Iran on Sunday, injuring at least 38 people, a spokesman for the country's medical emergency services said.

Most of the 38 were released after receiving treatment in hospitals in the affected province of Kermanshah, Mojtaba Khaledi told the semi-official news agency ISNA.

The quake struck 9km from the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in western Iran at a depth of 10km, reports said. 

The epicenter of the earthquake, which took place at 13:05 am local time (0835 GMT), was in Sar pol zahab city.

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake in the same area in November killed at least 530 people and injured more than 8,000.