On Friday morning local time, a 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit Khoy City, which has been hit by several tremors over the past few months.

According to the Seismological Center of the Geophysics Institute of the University of Tehran, the quake occurred at 06:46 am local time at a depth of 8 kilometers.

The latitude of the 5.6-magnitude quake was 38.412 degrees North and its longitude was 44.822 degrees East.

The tremor was so strong that it was felt in many regions of West Azarbaijan Province, causing concern among residents.

Local officials have stated that the tremor caused little material damage in the affected areas.

A 3.6-magnitude earthquake has also hit Salmas in Iran's West Azarbaijan on Friday morning local time, according to the Seismological Center of the Geophysics Institute of the University of Tehran.

Back in late January, an earthquake of 5.9 magnitude struck Khoy, killing three people and injuring 1,500 others. More than 60 aftershocks were recorded, two of which measured 4.5 on the Richter Scale. The earthquake destroyed over 15,000 houses across 70 villages.

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

The deadliest quake in the country was in June 1990 and measured 7.7 on the Richter scale. About 37,000 people were killed and more than 100,000 injured in the Northwestern provinces of Gilan and Zanjan. It devastated 27 towns and about 1,870 villages.