At least 250 dead and 2,000 injured in Iran twin earthquakes

An Iranian resident from the village of Baje-Baj, near the town of Varzaqan, stands on top of the rubble of his destroyed home (AFP / GETTY IMAGES)

The toll from Saturday's twin earthquakes in Iran has been raised to more than 250 dead and at least 2,000 injured.

Images broadcast on Iranian state television showed dozens of families sleeping outdoors in parks, with blankets laid out on the ground. Some were crying, others shivering from chilly weather in the mountainous region hit by the quake in the north-western part of the country.

TV also showed many people evacuated by rescue teams on stretchers to hospitals and clinics. Other images showed the injured in hospital beds.

AP