( CNN ) -- At least six people were killed Monday night after an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck southeastern Iran , state-run Press TV reports . Felt as far away as the Pakistan-Afghanistan border , the temblor was particularly strong between the cities of Zahedan and Bam . It struck late at night and hardest in mostly rural , relatively sparsely populated areas of Kerman province , officials said . While six are confirmed dead so far , according to Press TV , provincial officials said that they expect the death toll to rise . Citing eyewitnesses , another state-run news agency IRNA reported that scores of people are trapped in debris of buildings that have been destroyed . Many such sites are in hard-to-reach locations , making any rescue operations even more difficult . Additionally , at least seven aftershocks struck in the four hours since the 6.5-magnitude quake hit at 10:12 p.m. Monday night , according to the Iranian Seismological Center , based at the University of Tehran , and the U.S. Geological Survey . Javad Kamali , a deputy governor for Kerman province , told the IRNA that the tremor knocked down phone lines throughout the region . Military and law enforcement workers could communicate only using wireless technology , he added . Relief and recovery teams , some from outside the area , have converged around the village of Hosseinabad , between the towns of Fahraj and Rigan , Kamali said . In addition , IRNA reported that Kerman province 's disaster council convened an emergency meeting to assess possible damage and coordinate potential aid and assistance efforts . The tremor was centered in Kerman province about 16 kilometers ( 9 miles ) southwest of Hosein Abab , 213 kilometers ( 132 miles ) southwest of Zahedan and about 1,075 kilometers ( 668 miles ) south of Tehran . Residents of Zahedan , Khash and Iranshahr in Sistan-Baluchestan province , which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan , all felt the quake , the semi-official Fars News Agency reported . Kerman Gov . Esmail Najjar told IRNA that although the earthquake 's reach was significant , it hit several small villages hardest . The high-impact zone 's population -- which Najjar estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 people -- was widely dispersed . Iran lies on a series of seismic fault lines and experiences earthquakes almost daily . At times , they have had devastating consequences . Among the most notable was in December 2003 , when a 6.6-magnitude quake devastated the ancient city of Bam -- also in southeast Iran -- and killed at least 30,000 people . Last year , an earthquake struck Hormozgan province in southern Iran , injuring about 700 people in the port city of Bandar Abbas , state media reported . And there 's been plenty of activity in recent months as well . In early November , a 4.9-magnitude earthquake in the northwestern Lorestan province injured at least 80 people , according to IRNA . One person died two months earlier when a quake measuring magnitude-5.5 struck southern Iran , and in August three were killed after a 5.7-magnitude tremor in northern Iran , several state news agencies reported .
NEW : 6 are confirmed dead , and the death toll is expected to rise , state-run media says . NEW : Many people are buried in the rubble , and 7 aftershocks hit the area within 4 hours . The strike was centered in a largely rural area , though not far from the city of Bam . Iran lies on a series of seismic fault lines and experiences quakes almost daily .