At least five people have died and hundreds injured after a major magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck northwestern Iran in the early hours of Friday morning.
The earthquake's epicenter lay in 118 km to the west of Tabriz at the depth of 10 km. It was followed by more than 40 aftershocks, forcing residents to rush out of their homes in fear. State media reports described many of the injuries as coming while people were fleeing in panic.
The head of Iran's emergency medical services, Pirhossein Koulivand, said that while 312 people were injured, only 13 needed to receive hospital treatment, the Independent reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake's epicentre was at a relatively shallow depth of 10km. State media reports said 30 homes were destroyed in a village at the epicentre.
