The death toll continued to climb early Monday after a powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border region.
The 7.3-magnitude quake killed more than 330 people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast, authorities said Monday.
Iran's western Kermanshah province bore the brunt of the temblor, with Iran's state-run news agency reporting the quake killed 328 people in the country. State television said some 3,950 were injured. The area is a rural, mountainous region where residents rely mainly on farming to make a living.
Provincial leaders in Kermanshah announced three days of mourning, Reuters reported.
In Iraq, the earthquake killed at least seven people and injured 535 there, all in the country's northern, semiautonomous Kurdish region, according to Iraq's Interior Ministry.
More than 100 aftershocks
The quake was centered 19 miles outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the most recent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey. It struck at a depth of 14.4 miles, a shallow depth that can cause broad damage. Magnitude 7 earthquakes on their own are capable of widespread, heavy damage.
Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of people fleeing their homes into the night. More than 100 aftershocks followed.
The quake's worst damage appeared to be in the town of Sarpol-e-Zahab in Kermanshah province, which sits in the Zagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.
Kokab Fard, a 49-year-old housewife in Sarpol-e-Zahab, said she could only flee empty-handed when her apartment complex collapsed.
"Immediately after I managed to get out, the building collapsed," Fard said. "I have no access to my belongings."
Reza Mohammadi, 51, said he and his family ran out into the alley following the first shock he felt.
At least 14 provinces affected
The semi-official ILNA news agency said at least 14 provinces in Iran had been affected by the earthquake.
Officials announced that schools in Kermanshah and Ilam provinces would be closed on Monday because of the temblor.
In Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a directive for the country's civil defense teams and "related institutions" to respond to the natural disaster. Brig. Gen. Saad Maan, an Interior Ministry spokesman, gave the casualty figures for Iraq.
The quake could be felt across Iraq, shaking buildings and homes from Irbil to Baghdad, where people fled into the streets of the capital.
6.5-magnitude quake hits Pacific coast of Costa Rica
A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 shook Costa Rica on Sunday night, knocking items from shelves and sending people rushing outside in panic.
The country’s Public Safety Ministry said there were reports of two serious injuries, but officials had little information on the extent of the damage in the immediate aftermath of the quake.
Electricity was knocked out in some areas as power lines and poles fell, but there were no reports of major infrastructure damage from the tremor, which hit in a lightly populated area on the Pacific Coast. The government reported some rockslides obstructing highways near the epicenter.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was centered about 10 miles southeast of the town of Jaco, which is about 60 miles southwest of the capital, San Jose. The quake was at a depth of about 12 miles.
Four minutes after the initial earthquake, a 5.2-magnitude aftershock struck.
Perhaps Today! Keep looking up church!
ReplyDeleteThe EQ activity this month has been crazy. I'm still hoping for a 2017 -2018 rapture. Looks like a lot of stage setting for Isaiah 17 and the Ezekiel 39 God smack down of Israel's enemies in the Golan Heights. What does everyone make of the events in Saudi Arabia? I'm not sure how this fits in exactly but I'm confident it is important.
Hope to see everyone very very soon.
Maranatha!
Totally agree. This whole thing w Saudi Arabia may end up being the triggering mechanism for the cascade into the pending events of Isaiah 17---> gig Magog. We'll see but it's definitely worth watching very very closely
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