A major earthquake struck the western Iranian city of Abdanan on Monday, leaving 60 people injured.

A major earthquake struck the western Iranian city of Abdanan on Monday, leaving 60 people injured, state news agency IRNA said.

IRNA said the quake was magnitude 6.1 while the US Geological Survey (USGS) put it at 6.3.

Water, electricity, and telephone lines in Abdanan, located in the province of Ilam, have been cut, said IRNA. State television footage showed destroyed houses, buildings and cars in the city.

Aftershocks could be felt in three provinces including Ilam, Lorestan and Khuzestan, IRNA said.

Governor of Abdanan Majid Asgari told IRNA this morning that rural areas seemed to suffer heavy damages by the strong quake, adding that some villages were totally destroyed.

Iran, being crossed by several major fault lines, is prone to frequent deadly earthquakes almost each year. According to official reports, the worst earthquake in recent times struck Kerman Province in Dec. 2003, killing at least 31,000 people.

The quake, at a depth of 6 miles (10 km), hit at 0232 GMT, according to the USGS.