A major earthquake struck southeast Iran on Friday, and state media said many people were feared dead.

Iranian television said the magnitude 6.3 quake hit near the city of Bam, about 630 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran. It said all houses in the quake region that were made of brick had collapsed, and that phone lines to the region had been severed.

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but the newscaster said: "Many fatalities are feared."

"Authorities have demanded immediate blood donations to save the lives of those who have been admitted to hospital in the provincial capital of Kerman," the newscaster said.

Earthquakes in the last 25 years have caused thousands of deaths in Iran. A magnitude 7.7 temblor killed 25,000 in 1978, and most recently, on June 22, 2002, a magnitude 6 quake killed 500 people.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, big enough to cause severe damage. The survey said it occurred at 5:27 a.m. local time.

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