Over 140 Dead, 860 Injured In Iraq-Iran Earthquake
TEHRAN (CBSNewYork/CBS News/AP) -- A powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit region along the border between Iran and Iraq Sunday, killing more than 140 people and injuring 860.
The figures were issued late Sunday Eastern time by Iran's state-run news agency.
The report Monday morning said 141 had been killed in cities and towns in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah. It said rescuers worked through the night and the operations will be accelerated during the day Monday.
Iranian state TV had earlier said Iraqi officials have reported six deaths and 200 injuries inside Iraq, although there had not been any official confirmation from Iraq's government. The TV report also says Iraqis reported more than 50 people injured in Iraq's Sulaymaniyah province and about 150 were hurt in Khanaquin City.
Deputy Gov. Mojtaba Nikkerdar of Iran's Kermanshah province told state television exact numbers would not be available for hours.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the quake on its website, placing its epicenter around 19 miles, or 31 kilometers, outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja and issuing an "orange" alert for "shaking-related fatalities and economic losses."
Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran's emergency medical services, told a local television station that the earthquake led to a power outage in the country's western cities of Mehran and Ilam.
He also said 35 rescue teams were providing assistance.
"Damage has been reported in at least eight villages," Morteza Salim, the chief of Iran's Red Crescent Organisation, told IRINN. "Some other villages have suffered power cuts and their telecommunications system has also been disturbed."
Iranian social media was abuzz Sunday night with posts of people evacuating their homes, particularly in Kermanshah and Ghasr-e Shirin, where injured people were thought to be buried under the rubble.
The semi-official Iranian ILNA news agency reported that at least 14 provinces were affected by the earthquake.
Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to near-daily quakes. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.Iran is prone to near daily quakes as it sits on many major fault lines. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
In Iraq, mosques in the capital Baghdad have been saying prayers through loudspeakers, BBC News reported.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
