Doden bij zware aardbeving (7.2) op de grens van Irak en Iran

quote:

Powerful earthquake strikes the Iraq-Iran border, at least 14 dead

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 has struck northeast Iraq near the border with Iran, seismologists and residents say. Shaking was felt across large parts of the Middle East and at least 14 people have been killed.

The earthquake, which struck at 9:18 p.m. local time on Sunday, was centered about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Halabja, a city in Iraqi Kurdistan. The epicenter is just a short distance from the border with northwest Iran.

The earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, down from an initial estimate of 7.6. It struck about 34 kilometers (21 miles) below the surface, making it a shallow earthquake.

Buildings were destroyed on both the Iraqi and Iranian side of the border, but the extent of the damage and casualties was not immediately known. At least 14 people were killed on the Iranian side of the border, according to the New York Times. At least 50 have been injured in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"I never felt anything stronger than this in my life," a resident in Sulaymaniyah, about 89 kilometers (55 miles) from the epicenter, told the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center. Others also reported feeling very strong shaking.

The tremors were also felt in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, eastern Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.

According to computer models from the USGS, as many as 68.3 million people across the region may have felt Sunday's earthquake, including 2.9 million people who may have experienced "strong" to "very strong" shaking.

"Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist," the USGS said in an assessment. "Significant casualties and damage are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread."

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SkyNewsBreak twitterde op zondag 12-11-2017 om 20:53:13 Iranian state television says at least six people have died after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit Iraq close to the border with Iran reageer retweet