Magnitude 7.3 Earthquake Hits IRAQ and IRAN

An earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale had hit northern part of Iraq, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.

The quake happened on Sunday, 103 kilometers (64 miles) southeast of the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, it added.

The USGS initially reported that the quake was of a magnitude 7.2 but later revised it to 7.3.

An Iraqi meteorology official also said that an earthquake with an approximate 6.5 magnitude had hit large parts of Iraq including the capital, Baghdad.

According to later reports, which hit near Iraq’s border with Iran, has been felt in many Iranian provinces, including Kordestan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Khuzestan, Hamedan, West Asia, East Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Tehran, Qazvin and Qom.

A number of aftershocks followed the seismic, including two 4.9- and 4-magnitude aftershocks, which hit near Iraq’s border with Iran’s western Kermanshah province.

The quake has been also felt in other regional countries such as Turkey, Kuwait, Armenia, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain.

There has been no report on possible damage and casualties from the earthquake so far.