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At least 100 dead after powerful quake strikes near Iraq-Iran border

Posted at 6:34 PM, Nov 12, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-12 20:58:15-05

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake Sunday in the Iraqi city of Halabja, close to the Iraq-Iran border, killed at least 100 people in Iran, Iranian officials said.

Citing the head of Iran’s emergency services, Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars News also said at least 1,000 people were injured in the quake.

Four people died in eastern Iraq and dozens were wounded in the town of Darbandikhan, Iraq, Omar Ahmad, the governor of Sulaimaniya, told CNN.

The temblor, centered about 350 kilometers (217 miles) north of Baghdad, was felt throughout Iraq, according the US Geological Survey.

Iraq’s Meteorological Organization issued a warning on Iraqi State TV urging citizens to stay away from buildings and to refrain from using elevators.

Shocks were also felt in Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey, news agencies in those countries reported.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was closely following the situation of the country’s citizens, a statement from his office said.