Central Iran was rocked by a powerful earthquake on Tuesday morning at approximately 5:55 AM local time. The death toll is approaching 400 people and is expected to rise while more than 1,000 people were injured. The quake was centered in Kerman province which is in the southeastern portion of Iran and measured a 6.4 on the Richter scale.

The epicenter of the quake was located near the village of Zarand. Many houses were completely destroyed by the tremors. Local officials estimate that almost half of the homes in five small villages near the epicenter have been completely destroyed.

Rescue teams reported having difficulty reaching survivors, especially in remote villages were access is limited even under the best of circumstances. The death toll is expected to increase once these areas are reached.

'We are expecting the death toll to rise,' Ali Sharifi, head of Kerman's medical university, told Iranian state radio.

Still, local officials acknowledge that the death toll could have been a lot worse. 'As it was early morning and people were awake they could run out of their houses,' Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said.

For now, officials continue to search for survivors in earthquake ravaged areas.