HIGHLIHGTS: Most of Deaths in the town of Bou'in-Zahra in Qazvin Province||Some Villages Almost Completely Destroyed||Message of Condolence to Iranians from Their President|| STORY: A strong earthquake rocked northwestern Iran on Saturday, killing at least 500 people and injuring 1,600, Iran's state-run media reported.

Most of the deaths occurred in the town of Bou'in-Zahra in Qazvin province, the epicenter of the 6.0 magnitude quake, Majid Shalviri, the head of the provincial Red Crescent Society, was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency. The area is 140 miles west of Tehran.

The 7:30 a.m. quake hit the northern, central and western provinces of Gilan, Tehran, Kurdestan, Qazvin, Zanjan and Hamedan and was followed by several aftershocks, the Islamic Republic News Agency said. It was also felt in the capital, Tehran.

Eighty people were killed in the village of Kisse-Jin alone, Shalviri said.

Earlier, Mohammad Hossein Parvinian, deputy governor of Qazvin province, told the news agency that "50 to 90 percent" of 10 villages were damaged and that rescue teams had been sent to the region.

In 1963, a deadly earthquake hit the same area, killing more than 12,200 people and demolishing 124 villages.

Iran lies on a major seismic line and is prone to quakes. Moderate tremors are reported in various parts of Iran almost daily.

The U.S. Geological Survey's Web site reported a higher magnitude for the quake, 6.3.

President Mohammad Khatami issued a message of condolence to the Iranian nation, state-run TV said.

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Iran is one of the most quake-prone regions in the world, with small tremors occurring almost daily. Eight provinces were shaken by the quake, in both the north and west of the country, state television said.