Air tanker helps battle Ham Lake wildfire in Minnesota.
Credit: USFS

An earthquake and aftershocks razed villages in western Iran early Friday, and the death toll is expected to rise. Hundreds of people are injured.

The 5.7-magnitude quake was centered near the two cities of Boroujerd and Doroud, some 210 miles southwest of Tehran, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Other reports showed a magnitude of 6.0.

About 200 villages surround the cities. Damage was severe in Silakhor.

In February 2005, a 6.4-magnitude quake in southern Iran killed more than 600 people. In December 2003, a 6.6 quake devastated the southeastern city of Bam.

U.S. faith-based response groups mobilized an extensive response to the Bam quake, and these groups also have a history of responding to other humanitarian challenges in Iran.

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