At least two people have been killed and at least 310 injured after a magnitude-6 earthquake struck western Iran.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) said Sunday’s quake struck 26km southwest of the city of Javanrud in Kermanshah province, where more than 600 people were killed in an earthquake in November.
State-run television station IRIB said the town of Tazehabad on the border with Iraq was the worst hit and that rescue teams were on their way there.
More than 30 aftershocks had also been registered.
The Iran Daily newspaper reported that the quake had been felt as far away as Baghdad, hundreds of kilometres further west, though no injuries were reported there.
The quake hit at 2:43am local time (22:13 GMT) at a depth of 10km, according to the USGS.
The head of the emergency department Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Saeb Sharidari, told state news agency IRNA that six people were in critical condition.
People rushed to hospital after strong earthquake hit western Iran#IranEarthquake pic.twitter.com/t38tzPwyB5
— Press TV (@PressTV) August 25, 2018
The provincial head of the Red Crescent, Mohammad Reza Amirian, said there had been at least 21 aftershocks.
He said there were potential problems with drinking water due to damaged infrastructure in villages, but that it had not yet been necessary to distribute food and tents.
Kermanshah governor Houshang Bazvand told the Tasnim news agency that electricity had been temporarily cut to several villages.
A crisis centre was set up, with hospitals and relief organisations placed on alert.
Iran sits on top of two major tectonic plates and sees frequent seismic activity.
