A deadly 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the border between Iran and Iraq on Sunday, in the southeast city of Sulaymaniyah.
At least ten people are confirmed as killed so far, with hundreds of more casualties expected, according to local officials.
The epicenter of the quake was located 18.6 miles below the surface, according to the USGS website.
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People across the Middle East in countries such as Israel, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have also reported feeling tremors.
https://twitter.com/AWAKEALERT/status/929804929149128704
Fox News reports:
The USGS also issued an “orange” alert for “shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.”
“Significant casualties and damage are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread,” the agency said online. “Past orange alerts have required a regional or national level response.”
Iranian officials saying no reports of casualties yet, but "some might be buried under the rubble," head of crisis center says on state TV.
— Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) November 12, 2017
In Iraq, the quake destroyed old houses in Sadr City and triggered supermarket damage in the area. Traffic across Baghdad was slowed to a standstill.
Iranian social media was abuzz with posts of people evacuating their homes, especially from the cities of Ghasr-e Shirin 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 quake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
Sean Adl-Tabatabai
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