More than 207 killed by earthquake in Iran-Iraq border region

TEHRAN, Nov. 13 (MNA) – Powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake striked close to Iraq-Iran border, killing more than 200 people and injuring thousands. Nearly 100 of the victims were in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 15km (10 miles) from the border. An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 has struck Iraq, about 64 miles (103km) southeast of the city of Sulaymaniyah, near to the Iraq-Iran border. The earthquake was felt across large parts of Iran, including Ilam, West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces. The earthquake hit at 9:18pm local time at a depth of 33 kilometres. Rescuers worked through the night to find people trapped in collapsed buildings after the earthquake, which was felt as far west as the coast of the Mediterranean. The earthquake affected several Iranian provinces and the deputy governor of Kermanshah province on the Iraqi border told state telThe electricity was cut off in several Iranian and Iraqi cities, and fears of aftershocks sent thousands of people in both countries out onto the streets and parks in cold weather. Following the tragic event, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei called in a message for taking immediate measures to assist those affected by the earthquake, including a rapid mobilization of the relevant government organs to provide medical treatment for the injured. He expressed his deep sorrow over the devastating earthquake leaving hundreds of casualties and many more homeless. evision that the death toll would rise. Mojtaba Nikkerdar noted that there are still people under the rubble. "We hope the number of dead and injured won’t rise too much, but it will rise,” ّFollowing the death toll in Kermanshah province, he announced two days of public mourning in the whole province.