Earthquake kills at least 420 in Iraq and Iran

The toll of the 7,3 magnitude earthquake that hit northeastern Iraq and border regions in Iran and Turkey on Sunday evening continues to grow. At least 421 people were killed and more than 7000 injured, according to a new count given on Monday. Most of the victims were counted in Iran. It is the most deadly earthquake since the beginning of 2017 but not the most powerful, which remains that of September 8 in Mexico, with a magnitude of 8,2.

After having initially placed the epicenter of the earthquake on the Iraqi side of the border, the American National Geological Institute (USGS) placed it on Monday - just like its Iranian counterpart - in Iran, very close to the border, about fifty kilometers north of the border. north of Sar-e Pol-e Zaham, the city most affected by the disaster, with more than 280 dead.

According to the Institute of Geophysics of the University of Tehran, the earthquake was followed by more than 150 tremors, including twenty of a magnitude greater than 4, with a maximum of 4,7 on the Richter scale. The public media called on the population to calm down. "The situation is under control in the areas hit by the earthquake," assured state television.

In Iran, at least 413 dead and 7370 injured have been recorded, according to a report Monday evening. The deceased are all from the province of Kermanshah, located on the border with Iraq. “We are setting up three emergency camps” in this area, the deputy governor of Kermanshah told state television. According to the official Irna agency, around 200 Iranian Red Crescent rescue teams have been sent to western Iran. While hundreds of ambulances and dozens of army helicopters have been mobilized for relief operations, particularly in rural areas. XNUMX wounded were evacuated to Tehran by plane for hospitalization.

In Iraq, the earthquake was strongly felt in Baghdad and in many provinces. The latest official report of the tragedy reports a dozen deaths and 336 wounded. In Darbandikhan, the most affected locality on the Iraqi side, the authorities called on the inhabitants of the southern zone of the city to leave the surroundings, fearing that a dam had been hit. "We hadn't seen that here for at least a century," a local official told AFP.

The tremor was also felt in southeastern Turkey. According to the authorities, no damage or casualties were recorded.

Schools closed and roads cut

Tents, blankets, foodstuffs and water were distributed to people in various Iranian cities, who spent the night under the stars. Asked by state television, Pir Hossein Koolivand, the head of Iran's National Emergency Service, said it was "difficult to send rescue teams to some villages because roads were cut off due to landslides. of land".

The videos or photos broadcast by the Iranian media show that several sets of apartment buildings of recent construction have resisted rather well. On the other hand, the low houses suffered significant damage. In Sar-e Pol-e Zahab, the city most affected by the disaster, the hospital and half of the schools in the county were damaged. In the neighboring county of Dalahoo, many villages have been 100% destroyed, according to the local prefect quoted by the Tasnim agency.

In several provinces affected by the earthquake, the authorities called on residents to sleep outside their homes and move around as a precaution. Some towns are without electricity due to the earthquake. Schools were to remain closed on Monday in Iran, especially those in Kermanshah, where three days of mourning have been decreed.

Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Syria and the UN offered their condolences. Berlin and the United Nations have offered help where needed.

In the past, Iran has already been hit several times by violent earthquakes. In December 2003, an earthquake destroyed the historic city of Bam in Iran where at least 31.000 people were killed. In April 2013, Iran had suffered two earthquakes of magnitude 6,4 then 7,7 a few days apart, the strongest earthquake since 1957 in this country.