Earthquakes kill 250 in northwest Iran

Two earthquakes in Iran have killed 250 people, injured 1,500 and put 16,000 in emergency shelters, Reuters reports. Rescue workers are still scouring the affected areas in Northwest Iran (see pictures).

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated the first quake on Saturday at 6.4 magnitude, reporting that is struck about 60 km northeast of the city of Tabriz. A second quake of 6.3 magnitude followed shortly thereafter. A local Iranian official reported 250 deaths and added, "Since some people are in a critical condition ... it is possible for the number of casualties to rise."

"I was just on the phone talking to my mother when she said, ’There’s just been an earthquake’, then the line was cut," a woman from Tabriz said on Facebook.