Earthquakes in Iran kill 180, hurt 1,350

TEHRAN, Iran -- Two strong earthquakes struck northwestern Iran Saturday, killing at least 180 people and injuring more than 1,350 others, Iranian officials said.

Striking within 11 minutes of one another -- at 4:49 p.m. and 5 p.m. -- the two tremors registered magnitudes of 6.2 and 6, respectively.

Worst hit were the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province, but the earthquakes also rattled nearby villages.

At least six villages were leveled, and 60 others badly damaged. It is unclear how many people live in these villages.

A TV report said that according to Khalil Saei, the local Crisis Committee chief, the epicenter of the quake was a region between Ahar and Haris, about 300 miles northwest of the capital, Tehran.

Saei warned that because of probable aftershocks, people in the quake-hit areas were advised to sleep outdoors last night.

At least nine aftershocks jolted the area and were felt in a wide region near the Caspian Sea, causing panic among the population.

The Red Crescent said it would establish mobile hospitals in the affected areas to provide emergency aid to the injured.

Iran is located on several major seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It has at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed.