Earthquakes in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah destroyed 10 villages and killed two people this week, provincial Governor Mr Ahmad Torknejad said today.
Another 56 were injured in the earthquakes, which hit early yesterday and severely damaged 50 other villages, Mr Torknejad said.
The governor said as many as 2,000 people could have been killed had residents not been alerted by the first tremor. "Happily, after the first tremor, which registered 4.8 on the Richter scale, people reacted quickly and left their homes," he said.
Mr Torknejad said electricity, water and telephone services had been restored in the area.
The moderate earthquakes, measuring 4.8, 4.9 and 3.6 on the Richter scale, struck in the space of 15 minutes soon after midnight yesterday. They centred on the town of Dinvar in the east of the province.
Iran lies on several geological faults and is prone to frequent earthquakes.
AFP