Earthquake was centred about 19 miles outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja
More than 200 people have been killed and at least 860 believed to have been injured after earthquake struck Iran near to the Iraq border.
According to state media, at least 200 people killed and 860 injured in Iran after magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near border between Iran and Iraq.
US Geological Survey said the epicentre was about 20 miles (32km) southwest of the city of Halabjah and measured 7.2. Over the border in Iran, the country’s seismological centre said a 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Azgaleh.
The quake triggered landslides in the mountainous region along the Iran-Iraq border, also destroying buildings, shattering windows and sending people running for safety.
On the Iraqi side, the most extensive damage was in the town of Darbandi khan, around 50 miles (80km) east of the city of Sulaimaniyah in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
The district’s main hospital was severely damaged and had no power so the injured were being taken to Sulaimaniyah for treatment. There was extensive structural damage to buildings and homes.
Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of people fleeing their homes into the night in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, which announced three days of mourning.
According to Iranian media that at least 14 provinces had been impacted earthquake and there were fears that casualties in villages and small towns could be high.
Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to quakes. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
The news report also claim that earthquake shocks were also felt in Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey.