Nine people were killed and at least 37 people were injured after an earthquake hit its epicenter in neighboring Iran on Sunday morning.

Nine of the injured are in serious condition while at least 3 of those killed were children. 1,066 buildings collapsed and houses were damaged in 43 villages in Iran's West Azerbaijan province.

The earthquake centered on the Iranian border village of Habash-e Olya.

Ambulances and teams of medics rushed to the scene of the magnitude 5.7 earthquake after it left homes in piles of rubble in eastern Turkey.

The quake was mostly felt in the eastern district of Baskale in Van province on the Iran border.

According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake struck at 9.23 AM (0553 GMT) near the Iranian village of Habash-e Olya, less than 10 kilometers from the border.

It had a depth of six kilometers, said Tehran University's Seismological Center.

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According to Iran's official IRNA news agency, at least 75 people had been injured inside Iran while six of whom were hospitalized.

A second earthquake struck Sunday evening in the same area in Iran, also magnitude 5.7.

The quake affected buildings more than 90km (56 miles) to the west of the Turkish city of Van and the east in dozens of villages in Iran. Van governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez assured that no one remained trapped under debris from collapsed buildings.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said, "We have right now no citizens trapped under the rubble."

But Van governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez said that there was destruction in all four villages when he visited on Sunday morning. He added that the damage caused the loss of life.

The earthquake struck in the same area in Iran, according to the country's seismology center.

It was not clear if the second quake caused further damage or casualties in either country. The second earthquake's magnitude was set at 6.0 by the US Geological Survey.

Images of locals and soldiers digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings on Sunday were released by Turkish broadcaster NTV. Twenty-five ambulances, a medical helicopter, and 13 emergency teams have been dispatched.

Emergency teams were assigned to the remote mountainous region. This region has a history of powerful earthquakes. In January, a quake hit the eastern Turkish city of Elazig and killed more than 40 people.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reported that authorities are racing against time to reach those affected by the earthquake. "Authorities say they are concerned that many people might be trapped in the rubble. Rescue operations are underway. Dozens of mountainous villages have been affected. The area is one of the most seismically active areas in the world."

Two avalanches in Van province killed at least 39 people while in the provinces of Elazig and Malatya at least 31 people were killed off and more than 1,600 injured in a powerful quake.

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