Earthquake hits Iran as Ahmadinejad heads for Ghana

Forty people are feared dead in Iran and seven more in Pakistan after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit near the countries' borders, according to reports from CNN.

President Ahmadinejad is currently on a tour of West Africa and is due to land in Ghana at 5pm local time today.

The epicenter of the quake, which struck at around 3.15pm local time, was about 50 miles north of Saravan, the Iranian Seismological Center reported. A state of emergency has been declared in the area, and rescue workers have been deployed from other provinces.

President Ahmadinejad, who is also Chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), will be in Ghana for a two-day official visit starting with a meeting with President John Dramani Mahama at Flagstaff House tomorrow, according to the government of Ghana's website. The Iranian President has already visited Benin, and will be arriving in Ghana from Niger.

President Ahmadinejad will co-chair a bilateral meeting between the two countries tomorrow, lay a wreath at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and address a public lecture at the Islamic University College in Accra.

The Iranian president is a controversial figure because of his stance on the West, nuclear power and Israel.

Some have questioned his motives for visiting Niger which is rich in uranium, a substance which is used to generate nuclear power.