Residents spent the night outdoors after the quake and a series of aftershocks, reports said.

"Nine people were lightly injured in the quake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale which hit the Persian Gulf Island of Qeshm, and the port city of Bandar Abbas area (southern Iran) at 00:32 am (2102 GMT)," the head of a provincial natural disaster office, Masoud Dalman, told Iranian media.

"Fortunately there were no reports of any deaths even after the area was hit by five aftershocks, only the electricity in the Qeshm Island was cut and we are working on it now," he added.

Dalman said Iranian Red Crescent groups have been sent to the area.