Moderate quake hits northeast Iran: report

An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter Scale shakes part of northeastern Iran near the town of Kadkan in Khorasan Razavi province.

An earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter Scale shook part of northeastern Iran near the town of Kadkan in Khorasan Razavi province early on Friday, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

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The earthquake struck at 3:40 am (2310 GMT) causing panic and sending an estimated 15,000 residents fleeing from their homes to open areas, the report said.

The news agency said no casualties were reported.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes, many of which have been devastating.

The worst quake in recent times hit Bam in southeastern Kerman province in December 2003, killing 31,000 people -- about a quarter of the city's population -- and destroying the city's ancient mud-built citadel.

Tehran alone sits on two major fault lines, and the 7.5 million residents of the capital fear a major quake.