At least 120 people died and hundreds more were injured in a 7.3-magnitude earthquake Sunday night that struck the border area between Iraq and Iran.
In Iraq at least six are reported dead and more than 50 were injured in Sulaymaniyah province, with another 150 injured in Khanaquin City.
Both the death toll and the number of injured is continuing to rise in the aftermath of the temblor that struck at around 8:18 pm Israel time.
The quake rocked Azgaleh in Iran, an area about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the city of Halabjah, near the Iraq-Iran border, at a depth of 33.9 kilometers (21 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
It was felt as far south as Tel Aviv in Israel, as well as in Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey, and in Kuwait. In Iraq, it was also felt in Erbil, Kirkuk, Mosul and elsewhere in the central and northern parts of the country.
BREAKING: Powerful earthquake strikes the Iraq-Iran border. It was felt as far as Israel. This is footage from an Israeli household pic.twitter.com/uwdEDkGGat
— Shulem Stern (@ShulemStern)
An “orange alert” was issued by the USGS by “shaking-related fatalities and economic losses” as well. Many victims were in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the border, according to Iranian emergency services chief Pir Hossein Koolivand, the IRINN Iranian state television channel reported.
Iranian state television said the quake was felt in numerous cities and knocked out power in a number of villages, damaging at least eight in the Western Kermanshah province. Northwestern, western and central areas of Iran were affected.
