Deadly quake rocks Iran-Iraq border

Deadly quake rocks Iran-Iraq border
A powerful earthquake has rocked the northern Iran-Iraq border region leaving scores of dead and injured



The 7.3 magnitude quake struck late Sunday evening.
Its epicentre was in Iraq’s Sulaimaniyah province in Kurdistan.

More than 140 people have been killed and hundreds more injured. The death toll is expected to rise.

AFP Map showing the epicenter of the 7.3-magnitude quake on the Iraq-Iran border that has has left at least 135 people dead pic.twitter.com/ApRZ147ihX— AFP news agency (AFP) November 13, 2017

The quake was felt in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. Electricity was cut off in several Iranian and Iraqi cities where fear of after shocks sent thousands of people out onto the streets and parks in cold weather.

Rescue teams in both countries rushed to the worst hit areas over night to find dozens trapped under rubble. In some cases landslides have been hampering rescue efforts

Turkey which also reported feeling a strong tremor said it is sending heaters, tents and blankets as an initial aid effort.

Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to near-daily quakes but rarely one this size although in 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.