The quake hit Qeshm island at 1:53 pm (1023 GMT) and was felt for more than 10 seconds, the official news agency IRNA said.

"Four villages, which have a total population of 6,000, have been damaged. All of them are in the west of the island. At least three people have been killed although the number may be higher. Five to six people have been injured," the governor of Qeshm island, Heydar Alishbandi, told AFP.

However he said the island's main town, also called Qeshm, was undamaged. The affected villages were identified as Gabardin, Tonban, Tourian and Khaldin.

Qeshm island, home to some 120,000 people, is situated around 35 kilometres (20 miles) from the port city of Bandar Abbas.

The quake was also felt across the Gulf in the United Arab Emirates where residents fled high-rise office and apartment blocs.

"I took my baby and ran down the 10 flights to the street," one alarmed resident of Dubai said.

Iran sits astride several major faults in the earth's crust, and is prone to frequent earthquakes.

In February, a quake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit the southern town of Zarand, killing 612 people and wounding around 1,400.

In December 2003, the southeastern city of Bam was razed by a 6.7 degree quake that left more than 31,000 people dead.

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