A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck western Iran near the border with Iraq early Sunday, killing two people and injuring 255, officials said.

Reported aftershocks were felt in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and other provinces, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent said.

A minor aftershock was felt in the capital Baghdad and other reports coming from Sulaymaniyah and Diyala. It is most likely aftershocks from Iranian territory as most of the reports are coming from northern Iraq near Iran,” Al Arabiya’s Samer Youssif reported.

The Tasnim news agency earlier said that a 70-year-old man had died of a heart attack in the town of Novosbad, and it was not clear if this was the same fatality.

Bazvand said a crisis center had been set up, with hospitals and relief organizations placed on alert.

There were reports that the quake was felt far across the border into Iraq, and IRNA said there were multiple aftershocks.

Images on social media showed people being rushed to hospitals, but suggested relatively light damage to infrastructure.

Iran sits on top of two major tectonic plates and sees frequent seismic activity.

In November last year a major 7.3-magnitude quake killed 620 people in Kermanshah province and another eight people in Iraq.



(With AFP)

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:53 - GMT 06:53