A major earthquake struck the southern Iranian town of Minab early on Saturday leaving several people injured and damaging many villages, while its aftershocks were felt as far as Oman, said media reports citing US Geological Survey.

The epicentre of the Iranian quake was measured at 85km southeast of the southern town of Minab at 0208 GMT, the USGS said in a statement. It was at a depth of 36.44 km.

According to Iranian media reports, the earthquake which hit Minab damaged many villages leaving several people injured.

The Oman quake measuing 6.3-magnitude struck near the northern city of Al Khasab, the US Geological Survey said. The quake had a depth of 33 km and was centered 186 km east of al Khasab, the agency said. - Reuters