An earthquake measuring 5.5 in magnitude has struck eastern Iran.

Iran’s Fars news agency said eight people had been killed and 12 injured in the quake on December 5.

The agency said buildings had collapsed in areas impacted by the quake in the district of Zohan in South Khorasan Province.

Fars said Iran’s Red Crescent Society had dispatched 15 rescue teams to affected areas to search for people trapped under rubble.

Doctors in the provincial capital of Birjand were put on alert to treat those injured.

Mohammad Sarvar, Tehran’s deputy emergency services director, said with emergency workers reaching some areas the death toll could rise.

There were no early reports indicating damages or injuries in nearby areas across the border in Afghanistan.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa

By RFE/RL