An Iranian border vehicle patrols in Milak, southeastern Iran, near the Afghan border Around eight people were killed on Wednesday and at least a dozen injured in an earthquake that struck eastern Iran near the Afghan border, a provincial emergency official said. The earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit at 8:38 pm (1708 GMT). Its epicentre was 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Zohan, a small town in the province, according to Tehran University\'s Seismological Centre.
\"Many villages have been destroyed or damaged. People are out in public places and they need the means to keep themselves warm because of the cold,\" Mehr news agency quoted South Khorasan\'s crisis management director Mohammad Ali Akhundi as saying.
Two villages appeared to have sustained the worst damage including the village of Sharaj where five people were killed. Iranian media reports said search and rescue teams were dispatched to the area, which had lost communication.
Officials have said the death toll could rise as rescuers reached the affected areas.
Iran sits astride several major fault lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes, some of which have been devastating.
In December 2003, a quake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck the southern city of Bam. It killed 31,000 people - about a quarter of the population - and destroyed the city\'s ancient mud-built citadel.