Iran: two earthquakes in northwest leave at least 180 dead

Two strong earthquakes have killed 180 people and injured another 1,300 in northwest Iran where rescuers frantically combed through the rubble of dozens of villages on Saturday night.

Thousands fled their homes and remained outdoors after the quakes, as at least 20 aftershocks hit the area.

Casualty numbers could well rise, Iranian officials feared, as some of the injured were in critical condition, others were still trapped under the rubble and rescuers had yet to reach some of the affected villages. Some 60 villages had sustained more than 50 percent damage, Iranian media said.

Iran is straddled by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 which turned the southeastern historic city of Bam into dust and killed more than 25,000 people.

Two earthquakes in Iran kill 300 and injure 5,000
DUBAI - Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday as rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed nearly 300 people.