[custom_adv] An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 struck a town near the Iranian capital Teheran on Wednesday night (Dec 20), state media reported, but there were no initial reports of casualties or significant damage. [custom_adv] Authorities said they were gathering information and asked residents to remain calm but be prepared for possible aftershocks. [custom_adv] The epicentre was at Meshkin Dasht in Alborz Province, 50km west of Teheran, Tasnim news agency quoted Morteza Salimi, the head of Relief and Rescue Organisation of Iran’s Red Crescent, as saying. [custom_adv] The quake was also felt in the cities of Karaj, Qom, Qazvin and Arak, according to state TV.“There have been no reports of casualties or damage,” Behnam Saeedi, a spokesman for Iran’s National Disaster Management Organisation, was quoted as saying by the ILNA news agency. [custom_adv] The report says the quake hit Meshkindasht, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Tehran, at 23:28 Wednesday local time. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. [custom_adv] In November, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing more than 600 people.Iran is prone to near-daily earthquakes as it sits on major fault lines. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. [custom_adv] A magnitude 5.2 earthquake jolted a town near Iran's capital on Wednesday, according to state television, causing people in buildings to pour out into the streets in fear. [custom_adv] The quake hit Malard, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Tehran, at 23:28 Wednesday local time. Its depth was 7 kilometers. While Iranian state TV put its magnitude at 5.2, the U.S. [custom_adv] Geological Survey later said it was a 5.0 quake. The quake was felt in several cities in Iran's north, including Tehran. Authorities said rescue teams were sent to site. [custom_adv] There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage, but many people in Tehran and other cities and towns poured into the streets out of fear. [custom_adv] An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 struck a town near the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday night, state media reported, but there were no initial reports of casualties or significant damage. [custom_adv] The report says the quake hit Meshkindasht, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Tehran, at 23:28 Wednesday local time. There were no immediate reports of casualties or major damage. [custom_adv] The quake was also felt in the cities of Karaj, Qom, Qazvin and Arak according to state TV.In parts of Tehran residents flooded into streets and parks, fearing a stronger aftershock. [custom_adv] Authorities have not yet identified any damage or casualties from the quake, the latest in a series to have rattled the Islamic republic in the past weeks. In November, a 7.2 magnitude quake hit western Iran, killing more than 600 people. [custom_adv] Authorities said they were gathering information about the quake, which hit in late evening, at a depth of seven kilometers, and asked residents to remain calm but be prepared for possible aftershocks. [custom_adv] The epicenter of the quake was three kilometers from the city of Malard, and seven from Meshkin Dasht which lies 50 km (30 miles) west of Tehran, state news agency IRNA said. [custom_adv] "There have been no reports of casualties or damage," Behnam Saeedi, a spokesman for Iran's National Disaster Management Organization, was quoted as saying by the semi-official ILNA news agency.