Iran hit by twin earthquakes
Two strong earthquakes rocked north-western Iran on Saturday. More than a hundred people were killed, and thousands were injured in the disaster.
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Two devastating earthquakes in northwest Iran killed around 180 people and injured hundreds on Saturday as rescue teams were striving to dig survivors out of the rubble. In this picture a man carries the body of a child after finding it in the rubble of a house in Sourmah village, near the town of Varzaqan.
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The US Geological Survey reported that the first quake had a magnitude of 6.4 and struck 37 miles (60 kms) northeast of the city of Tabriz at a depth of 9.9 kms (6.2 miles). Its epicentre was a region between the towns of Ahar and Haris, about 200 miles (500 kms) northwest of the capital Tehran.
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Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although the vast majority are so small they go unnoticed. In 2003, some 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic south-eastern city of Bam.
