At least 250 people have been killed and over 2,000 others injured in two powerful earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks that rocked Iran, Press TV reports.

On Saturday, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Ahar, near the provincial capital Tabriz, at 15:53 local time (1123 GMT). The quake struck 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Tabriz at a depth of 9.9 kilometers (6.2 miles).

Another quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted Varzaqan and Haris, which are located near Ahar, 11 minutes later at a similar depth. The epicenter of the quake was 49 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.

Twelve villages in Varzaqan have been completely destroyed by the earthquake and about 60 others have been partially destroyed.

Thousands of people were forced to remain outdoors as at least 20 aftershocks rocked the area.

Iranian deputy interior minister Hasan Kadami said more than 110 villages have been destroyed.
According to hyeli.net, the Armenian community has not suffered human losses.
Armenia’s southern regions have also felt the earthquake, reaching 3-4 magnitude in the country.