BAGHDAD, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- An earthquake measuring over 5.0 magnitude Sunday hit border areas neighboring Iran, and was felt in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in central Iraq.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit the area at about 5:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), located near Iraqi-Iranian border inside Iran, at the depth of 10 km, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Meanwhile, Huda Abbas, head of the Iraqi seismic monitoring, told reporters that "an earthquake in Iran measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale, took place north of the Sumar region of Iran, which lies 20 km northeast of the Iraqi border town of Mandalay."

The earthquake was felt in Baghdad and the provinces of Diyala, Sulaimaniyah, Kirkuk, Salahudin, Wasit and Maysan, according to local media.

Earthquakes frequently occur in eastern Iraq near the border with Iran. In November 2017, a huge earthquake measuring 7.2 magnitude hit Darbnandi-Khan area in Iraq's northern province of Sulaimaniyah, leaving at least eight people dead and hundreds of others injured.