More than 200 killed by earthquake in Iran-Iraq border region

Earthquakes
Rescuers battle to find survivors trapped under collapsed buildings after the 7.3 magnitude quake

More than 200 people have been killed in Iran and Iraq after a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the border region between the two countries, state media said.

Iranian state television said that at least 200 people had been killed, Associated Press reported, after the quake struck the country’s western provinces at 9.20pm local time on Sunday. More than 1,650 were injured.

Officials in Iraq reported that at least six people had died and 50 injured.

The US Geological Survey said the quake measured magnitude 7.3, while an Iraqi meteorology official put its magnitude at 6.5 with the epicentre in Penjwin in Sulaimaniyah province in the Kurdistan region close to the main border crossing with Iran. It struck 23.2km below the surface, a shallow depth that can have broader damage.

Rescuers worked through the night to find people trapped in collapsed buildings in towns affected by the quake, which was felt as far west as Israel and south to Baghdad.

The deputy governor of the Iranian border province of Kermanshah told state television that the death toll would rise.

“There are still people under the rubble. We hope the number of dead and injured won’t rise too much, but it will rise,” Mojtaba Nikkerdar said. - Read More

More than 200 killed by earthquake in Iran-Iraq border region | World ...