Western Iran has been rocked by a strong earthquake. The 6.2 magnitude tremor hit a sparsely-populated part of the country near the border with Iraq.

Officials say at least 60 people were injured and it reportedly caused widespread damage.

But some reports say up to 250 people have been hurt.

According to the Iranian Seismological Centre, it hit two western provinces of Ilam and Lorestan in the south-west of the country just after 7am local time.

There are reports the quake caused widespread damage in rural areas - cutting off electricity and water supplies.

Local media says it also destroyed telecommunications department in the city of Abdanan in Ilam province, making it impossible to estimate the amount of damage.

Two weaker earthquakes of magnitudes 4.8 and 5.0 had hit Ilam on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said.