TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iran's southeastern province of Kerman was hit by multiple strong quakes on Tuesday and Wednesday, injuring at least 18 people and damaging some 20 houses, state media reported.
The first quake of magnitude 5.9 struck on Tuesday morning 56 km north of Kerman, a city with a population of more than 820,000.
The tremor, initially reported as a magnitude 6.2 before it was revised downward, was followed by dozens of smaller aftershocks.
During the night, early on Wednesday, a stronger quake of magnitude 6.0 struck the same area. It was shallower - only 10 km deep, which would have amplified the shaking.
Officials said the second quake which struck during the night had not caused any damage.
No deaths were caused by the first earthquake, which hit in late morning on Tuesday, but it left at least 18 people injured.
Pictures showed groups of people standing in streets in the quake zone, fearing the collapse of buildings. The 20 damaged buildings were mostly older structures, reports said. The pictures showed collapsed mud brick walls.
On Monday, another quake with the magnitude of 6.0 hit western Iran, in the same region where a magnitude 7.3 earthquake killed at least 530 people last month. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries from Monday's quake.