At least six people have been killed across Iraq and Iran, according to state media, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Iraq, near to the border with Iran.
Iranian media gave contradictory figures on the number of people killed in the quake. The semi-official Fars news agency and state news agency IRNA said at least six people were killed and many others injured in the border town of Qasr-e Shirin. But governor of Qasr-e Shirin, Faramarz Akbari, said only two people had died in the town and 25 others were injured.
At least four people died and dozens were wounded after a major earthquake struck large parts of Iraq on Sunday, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government's Health Minister Rekawt Hama Rasheed.
The US Geological Survey said the epicentre was about 20 miles (32km) southwest of the city of Halabjah and measured 7.2. Over the border in Iran, the country's seismological centre said a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Azgaleh.
Iranian state television that the earthquake had been felt in a number of cities in the country and had damaged eight villages, including knocking out electricity in a number of those villages.
The semi-official Iranian ILNA news agency reported that at least 14 provinces had been impacted earthquake. The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an emergency services official as saying there were fears that casualties in villages and small towns could be high.
Iranian social media was abuzz with posts of people evacuating their homes, especially from the cities of Ghasr-e Shirin - near the Iraqi border - and Kermanshah.
Esmail Najar, head of Iran's National Disaster Management Organization, said “some injured people might be buried under the rubble in Ghasr-e Shirin”.
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. Many houses in rural parts of the province are made of mud bricks, which have been known to crumble easily in quake-prone Iran.
“The quake was felt in several Iranian provinces bordering Iraq ... Eight villages were damaged ... Electricity has been cut in some villages and rescue teams have been dispatched to those areas,” state TV reported.
Water and electricity lines were severed in some villages and cities in the Western Kermanshah province and communities stayed out on the streets because of the threat from aftershocks, a local Red Crescent official told state TV. “So far no casualties have been reported,” the official said.
The USGS issued an “orange” alert for “shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.” Iranian provinces in the northwestern, western and central areas of the country were impacted.
