Over 700 injured in 6.3 magnitude Iran earthquake, 160 aftershocks

The earthquake was experienced on Sunday night in western Iran

Iranian authorities said on Monday that the number of injured in the magnitude 6.3 earthquake in western Iran on Sunday night had risen to 716. No fatalities were reported from the temblor.

According to Iran's state television, most of the injured were immediately released from hospitals and suffered only slight injuries in the quake. The TV said 37 remained hospitalised.

It said more than 160 aftershocks occurred in the region, including two quakes stronger than magnitude 5. Dozens of rescue teams and several rescue dogs were deployed to the region.

Hossein Rahnimi, head of a local hospital, said many of the injured suffered panic attacks. The earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq, damaging buildings and sending fearful residents running into the streets.

It hit near the town of Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which was the epicentre of a 7.3 magnitude earthquake last year that killed more than 600 people and where some still remain homeless. Sunday's temblor also downed power lines as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius. Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences a quake per day on an average.

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