Rescuers in Iran are searching through the rubble of collapsed buildings for survivors from two strong earthquakes which left at least 220 people dead. The 6.4 and 6.3 quakes struck near Tabriz and Ahar yesterday afternoon and more than 1,500 are believed injured in outlying villages.Thousands of people spend the night in emergency shelters or in the open. Relief agencies are trying to provide the survivors with tents, bread and drinking water. Reports say phone lines to many villages have been cut off, making rescue efforts harder.

According to local crisis committee chief Khalil Saei, the towns of Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province in north-western Iran were among those that suffered casualties.

An Iranian Red Crescent official estimated that 16,000 people have been given emergency shelter after they were forced to leave their homes. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's office posted a statement on its website calling on authorities to mobilise all efforts to help the affected populations. A provincial official has warned people in the region to stay outdoors overnight because of the risk of aftershocks.