TEHRAN -- More than 120 people have been left injured and 200 houses wrecked by an earthquake in northwest Iran.
The quake struck the city of Khoy in West Azarbaijan Province around 40km away from the Turkish border.
Officials reported a 5.4-magnitude quake that has left buildings wrecked and more than 100 people injured. The extent of the injuries is not yet known.
The director of West Azarbaijan Red Crescent: “The earthquake of magnitude 5.4 in the vicinity of Khoy has injured 120 people so far. The evaluation of Red Crescent aid groups continues.”
The Red Crescent said no casualties have been reported yet, but that the search continues.
Videos and images on social media showed houses reduced to piles of bricks and rubble. In other footage, people can be seen scrambling and sprinting through the streets to avoid the rumble.
Earlier this year, another magnitude 5.4 quake shook Khoy, causing irreparable damage to 1,100 residences. An additional four thousand homes, both urban and rural, were also partially damaged.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, many of the injured were admitted with broken bones while leaving their homes.
Victims have been sent to Qamar Bani Hashim Hospital in Khoy.
Rescue workers and teams to assess the damage have been sent to inspect the affected areas.
IRNA added that the initial 5.4 quake was followed by a 3.6 rumble.
Iran sits above several major geological fault lines which crisscross the country, making it more susceptible to earthquakes.
Back in July last year, at least five people were killed in a series of massive earthquakes that struck a region in southern Iran.
A major rescue operation took place in the darkness in the southern port city of Bandar-e Lengeh and surrounding villages as teams looking for survivors in the rubble.
One video showed a village of buildings that had razed to the ground by the quake and many people are in the streets.
“Here is Sayeh Khosh, one of the villages affected by the earthquake in Hormozgan. The pictures show the 100% destruction of this village. The population of Sayeh Khosh is 1,600 people,” tweeted a local journalist.