TEHRAN, Iran - A strong earthquake followed by an even stronger aftershock jolted western Iran early Friday, killing at least 17 and injuring hundreds, state media reported.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 and was centered near Boroujerd and Doroud, two industrial cities in western Iran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Hours later, it was followed shortly before dawn by two weaker aftershocks and a third tremor with a magnitude of 6.0, IRNA reported.
Provincial official Ali Barani said the quake flattened several villages. Rescue teams have been sent to the region, 210 miles southwest of Tehran, Barani told IRNA
Seventeen bodies have been pulled out of destroyed houses in Silakhor, a region north of Doroud, state-run radio said, reporting 300 injured. The injured were taken to hospitals in Boroujerd and Doroud.
Doroud governor Nasrollah Rashno told IRNA that the quake has damaged buildings and toppled telephone lines.
People in Doroud ran into the streets in panic when the first quake hit shortly after midnight. Many spent the remainder of the night outside.
"We are afraid to get back home. I spent the night with my family and guests in open space last night," Doroud resident Mahmoud Chaharmiri told The Associated Press by telephone.
Chaharmiri said there were no scenes of destruction in Doroud such as those seen in the past in the wake of similar quakes around Iran.
In February 2005, a 6.4-magnitude quake in southern Iran killed 612 people and injured more than 1,400.
A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in the same region in December 2003, killing 26,000 people.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. On average, it experiences at least one slight earthquake every day.
The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.0 and was centered near Boroujerd and Doroud, two industrial cities in western Iran, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Hours later, it was followed shortly before dawn by two weaker aftershocks and a third tremor with a magnitude of 6.0, IRNA reported.
Provincial official Ali Barani said the quake flattened several villages. Rescue teams have been sent to the region, 210 miles southwest of Tehran, Barani told IRNA
Seventeen bodies have been pulled out of destroyed houses in Silakhor, a region north of Doroud, state-run radio said, reporting 300 injured. The injured were taken to hospitals in Boroujerd and Doroud.
Doroud governor Nasrollah Rashno told IRNA that the quake has damaged buildings and toppled telephone lines.
People in Doroud ran into the streets in panic when the first quake hit shortly after midnight. Many spent the remainder of the night outside.
"We are afraid to get back home. I spent the night with my family and guests in open space last night," Doroud resident Mahmoud Chaharmiri told The Associated Press by telephone.
Chaharmiri said there were no scenes of destruction in Doroud such as those seen in the past in the wake of similar quakes around Iran.
In February 2005, a 6.4-magnitude quake in southern Iran killed 612 people and injured more than 1,400.
A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in the same region in December 2003, killing 26,000 people.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. On average, it experiences at least one slight earthquake every day.
