Strong earthquake shakes south-east Iran

A strong earthquake rattled south-eastern Iran, leaving a number of buildings damaged.

Iranian state TV said there were no reports of injuries as yet following the 6.5-magnitude quake in Hosseinabad last night.

The area is close to the historical city of Bam, where a quake of a similar strength killed more than 26,000 people in 2003.

"Initial reports indicate that houses in several villages were damaged, but there are no reports of casualties yet," Hossein Bagheri, the director of Iran's National Crisis Management unit, said on state TV.

Telephone contacts to the stricken area have been cut off, and relief teams have been dispatched to the area, the TV reported.