Dozens killed, 200+ injured as 7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Iran-Iraq border region

By Sacha Dobler on 13. November 2017 • ( Leave a comment )

Published time: 12 Nov, 2017 18:41

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks have struck on the border of Iran and Iraq. Dozens of people were killed in the two countries and hundreds more injured, according to local officials.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATE: Deadly quake hits Iran & Iraq

Iran Earthquake 11-12-2017 Image: USGS

At least 30 people were killed and over 200 killed in Iran’s Kermanshah province alone, according to the local deputy governor, but the exact number of casualties is yet to be determined.

Across the border in Iraq, at least four people died in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, according to the Kurdish health minister. At least 50 people were injured in the town of Darbandikhan in Sulaymaniyah province alone, spokesperson for the suburban districts, Iqbal Mohammed, told Rudaw.

The epicenter of the quake was located some 25 km below the surface, according to the USGS. The earthquake was initially reported by the USGS as being of 7.2 magnitude.

“There are no accurate figures because of increasing numbers of the injured. Some peoples’ houses have collapsed. We don’t know whether there were people inside them,” the Mayor of Darbandikhan, Nasih Mala Hassan, said as quoted by Rudaw.

Witnesses reported on social media that they felt the shocks as far as Baghdad and Mosul. Some have spoken of having felt the tremor in Kuwait.