Magnitude 7.2 quake hits Iraq without reports of major damage
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — A magnitude 7.2 earthquake shook Iraq on Sunday, authorities said, without causing any casualties or major damage in the country or in neighbouring Iran and Turkey where it was also felt.
The temblor was centred 32 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Halabja, near the northeastern border with Iran, the US Geological Survey said.
It struck the mountainous area of Sulaimaniyah province at 9:18 pm (1818 GMT) at a depth of 33.9 kilometres (21 miles), the monitor said.
It was felt for about 20 seconds in Baghdad, and sometimes for longer in other provinces of Iraq, AFP journalists said.
In the province of Sulaimaniyah, located in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, residents ran out onto the streets at the time of the quake and some minor property damage was recorded, an AFP reporter said.
In Iran, the ISNA news agency said that the earthquake was felt in several cities in the west of the country including Tabriz.
In southeastern Turkey, the earthquake was felt “from Malatya to Van”, an AFP correspondent said. In the town of Diyarbakir, residents also left their homes before returning.
