Iran quake injures hundreds, but no deaths reported - state TV

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake on Iran’s western border with Iraq injured more than 600 people, most suffering minor wounds, state television said on Monday, but no fatalities had been reported. 

The Sunday night earthquake was felt in at least seven provinces of Iran, but most strongly in Kermanshah, where last year more than 600 people were killed and thousands injured in Iran’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade. 

“The number of wounded people has reached 646 ... Most of them were not hospitalised because of the slight injuries,” TV quoted officials as saying. 

The head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, Mahmoud Mohammadi Nasab, told TV that there were no fatalities.

Rescue mission

Authorities said dozens of rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding.

Officials reported damage at buildings both in town and in rural Kermanshah, as well as to some roadways. The temblor also downed power lines and caused power outages into the night as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit).

The quake struck just after 8 pm in Iran, meaning most were still awake at the time and able to quickly flee.

Shallow earthquakes

Shallow earthquakes have broader damage.

The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

The quake was also felt in Kuwait and in coastal areas, according to state news agency KUNA.

"Fortunately, the quake was not near bigger cities. But it might have caused damage in villages and I hope not that many villages are located where it hit," Ali Moradi, head of Iran's seismology centre, told state TV.

Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average. 

In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people.

Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab had a magnitude of 7.3.