Three villages damaged in Iran quake

TEHRAN - An earthquake rattled the northeastern Iranian province of Semnan, damaging three villages and injuring several villagers late Friday, state media reported.

The quake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale shook several villages near the provincial city of Damqan and was felt in the capital Tehran.

The Damqan governor told official news agency IRNA that there have been no casualties there, but several residents in the village of Kuhzar were injured and hospitalized. Morteza Ali-Abadi further said that teams from the Iranian Red Crescent have been dispatched to the area to aid villagers.

He said further news on the extent of damages and casualties would be updated Saturday morning.