Report by Radio Zamaneh; photos by Mojtaba Goori. Mehr News Agency

An earthquake in the city of Zahan in northeastern Iran near Afghanistan border has left eight people dead and 30 injured. ILNA reports that 12 towns have suffered damage and are calling for emergency aid.

Local officials report that many people have left their homes in fear of being buried under debris, and the cold weather means they need heating equipment

The earthquake reportedly occurred at 8:30 PM local timeon Wednesday and registered a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale.

Iranian media report that rescuers have been dispatched to the region and are already engaged in rescue operations.

Zahan was struck by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake last September that left no casualties.

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Related Report: Frequent Tremors Jolt Eastern Iran

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Several tremors jolted parts of Eastern Iran on Thursday, one day after a quake measuring 5.5 on the richer scale struck the area and killed at least 6 people and injured over 17.

The biggest of the tremors measuring 3.1 on the richer scale struck the city of Zahan, South Khorassan Province, at approximately 00:08 local time (2038 GMT).

The epicenter of the main quake, which was followed by at least 7 aftershocks ranging from 2 to 3.1 degrees on the Richter scale, was located in an area 59.6 in longitude and 33.4 in latitude.

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