An earthquake measuring 5.4 in magnitude struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Friday morning and relief teams have been deployed to the area.

The extent of damage is not immediately clear, but there has been no report of casualties and an assessment team is on ground taking stock of the initial situation for emergency and rescue services.

The epicentre of Friday’s quake was the town of Qasr-e Shirin, the capital of Kermanshah province, lying just 10 kilometre from the Iran-Iraq border.

Tremors were also felt over the border in Iraq’s northern provinces of Diyala and Sulaimaniya as well as in parts of Baghdad, witnesses said.

Iran sits on major geological faultlines and has suffered several big earthquakes in recent years.

In April, a 7.8 magnitude quake near its border with Pakistan is thought to have killed hundreds of people.