An earthquake near Irans highest mountain has killed at least one person and caused panic in the capital Tehran early Friday. The shallow 4.6 magnitude quake hit at 00:48 am (2018 GMT) near the city of Damavand, about 55 kilometres (34 miles) east of Tehran, the US Geological Survey said. The USGS said on its website that the quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres. Its epicentre was south of Mount Damavand, a volcanic mountain which at 5,671 metres (18,606 feet) is Irans highest peak. Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour said on Twitter that the tremor claimed the life of one person and injured seven others. He called on people to "keep calm" and to follow safety guidelines. Scores of residents of the capital exited buildings for the safety of streets and parks, AFP journalists reported. Iran sits on top of major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity. A 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled the western village of Habash-e Olya on February 23 killed at least nine people over the border in neighbouring Turkey. In November 2017, a 7.3-magnitude quake in Irans western province of Kermanshah killed 620 people.