Iranian authorities say an earthquake in southern Iran has killed more than 30 people and injured hundreds of others.

The officials said the six-point-three magnitude quake struck a sparsely populated area 106 kilometers southeast of the city of Bushehr.

They explained that two aftershocks of magnitude five-point-three and four-point-four followed the earthquake, noting the number of casualties could rise due to the size of the affected area.

The Iranian government said a nuclear power plant located 70 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake was not damaged.