ArmInfo. On November 12, at 22.18 local time (according to Greenwich at 18.18), the Seismic Protection Service of the Ministry of Emergencies recorded an earthquake on the border of Iraq and Iran.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Armenia, the earthquake occurred 33 km north of Sarpol-e Zahab in the Iranian province of Kermanshah. The magnitude was 7.2. The hearth of the earthquake lay at a depth of 20 km. The strength of the tremors in the epicenter was 9-10 points. In the southern and central regions of Armenia, the earthquake was felt by force of 3 points.
Note that according to the BBC, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 killed more than 130 people, six more died in Iraq. Number of victims continues to grow. Hundreds of people were injured. The earthquake caused panic among the population, residents fled from their homes to the streets. Mosques in the Iraqi capital Baghdad broadcast prayers through loudspeakers. Many people suffered in the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 15 kilometers from the border, said the head of the rescue service of Iran, Pir-Hossein Kulivand. Destructions were recorded in at least eight villages, the head of the Iranian branch of the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, Morteza Salim, told Iranian state-run IRINN television channel. "In some villages there were power outages, their telecommunications system was broken," he said.
About 70 thousand Iranians lost their homes. According to Pir-Hossein Kulivand, the work of rescuers is complicated by landslides. The tremors were felt also in Turkey, Israel and Kuwait. As a result of the earthquake, the dam of Darbandhan in Iraqi Kurdistan also suffered. Currently, experts are studying how serious these injuries are. The authorities urged local residents "not to approach the dam in the interests of their own security.