Earthquake Shakes South Iran - Media

The same region was hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake last week that killed at least seven people.

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck southern Iran on Wednesday near the port of Bandar Abbas, site of a major oil refinery, Iranian media reported, without mentioning any casualties or damage.

The same region was hit by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake last week that killed at least seven people.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated the magnitude of Wednesday's quake at 5.2 and said it happened at 9:13 p.m. local time (1643 GMT).

Iran's official IRNA news agency said the quake hit the island of Qeshm off the coast and cut electricity there. People had rushed onto the streets, it said, giving no further details.

USGS said it struck 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Bandar Abbas.

Iran is the world's fourth largest oil exporter and Bandar Abbas is a major port with oil installations including a refinery. An industry official told Reuters last month it was processing 320,000 barrels per day of crude.

The facility was not damaged by last week's quake.