Two strong earthquakes struck the north-western Iranian region of Azerbaijan on Saturday, killing at least 153 people and leaving some 1,300 injured, Deputy Interior Minister Hassan Qadami told Fars news agency which quoted by dpa. Striking within 11 minutes of one another - at 4:49 pm and 5 pm (1219 and 1230 GMT) - the two tremors registered magnitudes of 6.2 and 6, respectively. Worst hit were the towns of Ahar and Varzeqan, but the earthquekes also rattled nearby villages. According to unconfirmed reports, some 60 villages have been badly damaged by the twin quakes. It is unclear how many people live in these villages.