Tasnim – The Iranian cabinet members ordered related government bodies to rapidly address the problems of the quake-hit areas in the northeastern province of North Khorasan after an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale hit the city of Bojnourd in the province.

In a cabinet session chaired by First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri in Tehran on Sunday, the ministers expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and injuries of a number of countrymen in Bojnourd and some nearby villages.

The cabinet ordered all organizations of the executive branch of the government in the province, including the governor general, to take immediate action to deal with problems in quake-struck districts and villages.

The Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare was also sent to the province as the administration’s representative.

The 5.7-magnitude earthquake on Saturday night killed at least two people and injured more than 210.

Several powerful tremors have been felt in the area after the quake, the largest of which measured 3.5 on the Richter scale, according to officials.

Local authorities say 12 villages have suffered more than 50 percent damage in the wake of the quake, noting that access to several villages has been blocked.

Officials had called on local residents to stay the night outdoors over the probability of aftershocks.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.