Tehran , Iran ( CNN ) -- At least 250 people were killed and 2,000 others injured when two strong earthquakes jolted northwestern Iran on Saturday near the city of Tabriz , state-run news agencies said . Iran 's state-run Press TV said 250 people had died . Officials feared the casualties would rise . The city of Ahar was home to 45 of the deaths and 500 of the injured , a local official told state-run IRNA media . The first earthquake , a magnitude 6.4 , hit at 4:53 p.m. local time 37 miles northeast of Tabriz , according to the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) , which measured 11 aftershocks . Just 11 minutes later a second quake , measuring 6.3 , struck 30 miles northeast of Tabriz . Authorities reported 17 aftershocks in the region , state-run IRNA media said . The semi-official Fars News Agency reported 35 aftershocks . Officials asked residents , as a safety precaution , to spend the night outdoors . The quakes affected Tabriz , the capital of East Azarbaijan province , and nearby cities . It razed four villages and another 60 villages sustained heavy damage , said Fars . It said 40 people died in the city of Varzaqan and 50 were killed in Haris . Initial reports said some buildings in Tabriz suffered structural damage and power lines were down . Telephone lines were down in Ahar , the quake 's epicenter . The extent of the damage was still being assessed . Many people were in dire need of drinking water , bread and shelter , said Fars , quoting officials . Authorities dispatched rescue teams to the area . Press TV broadcast images of collapsed buildings and makeshift medical stations set up in the streets . In scenes broadcast by state-run IRINN , people lying on blankets were administered intravenous fluids . Iran sits on major fault lines -- the collision of the Arabia and Eurasia plates -- and has been prone to devastating earthquakes . In 2003 , 30,000 people died in an earthquake in Bam in southeastern Kerman province . In 1990 , about 50,000 were killed in a quake that hit near the Caspian Sea . CNN 's Shirzad Bozorgmehr and Michael Martinez contributed to this report .
NEW : Drinking water cut in villages . State media : 17 aftershocks follow two powerful earthquakes . Score: 6 Iran has been prone to devastating earthquakes .