TEHRAN - An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale hit near Iran's holy city of Mashhad on Wednesday, local media reported.

It was not immediately clear if there had been casualties or extensive damage from the quake, which struck at 10:39 am (0609 GMT) around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Iran's second city in an area called Sepid Sang. "It was horrible. It made a lot of noise. Everything was shaking," a Mashhad resident told AFP by phone.-AFP