Earthquake of 7.3 magnitude hits Iraq-Iran border, 140 dead

A massive earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck Iraq on Sunday, 103 kms (64 miles) southeast of the city of As-Sulaymaniyah, the US Geological Survey said.

US Geological Survey initially said the quake was of a magnitude 7.2, before revising it to 7.3. The earthquake hit the region along the border between Iran and Iraq on Sunday, killing at least 140 people and injuring 860 in Iran, an Iranian official said. The quake has been felt in several Iranian cities and eight villages have been damaged. Electricity has also been disrupted at many places. The Israeli media said the quake was felt in many parts of Israel too.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.3 temblor was centred 30 kilometres southwest of Halabja, near the northeastern border with Iran. Health officials said most of the wounded were in Darbandikhan, 75 kilometres (47 miles) east of the major city of Sulaimaniyah in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The quake was even felt in the Iranian capital Tehran, with some villages hit by power cuts, Iranian state TV reported.