Georgia Saddened by Deadly Earthquake in Iran - Iraq

Official Tbilisi has expressed its deep sorrow over the devastating earthquake that struck the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Iraq on November 12, 2017, killing more than 400 and leaving thousands injured.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia expresses its solidarity with the Iranian and Iraqi people, conveys its sincere condolences to the families of the disaster victims and wishes speedy recovery to those who were injured,” the statement reads.

A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the northern border region between Iran and Iraq on Sunday.

CNN reports that the number of deceased has reached 445 in Iran, while 7 people died in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq, said Rekawt Hama Rasheed, Health Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government. Iraq's Health Ministry added that 535 people were injured.

The quake was a depth of 23 km (just over 14 miles), which is considered shallow, according to the survey. It was felt across the region with aftershocks hitting Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait and Turkey, news agencies in the countries reported.

According to the Guardian, local officials said the death toll was likely to rise, as search and rescue teams reached remote areas. More than 70,000 people were in need of emergency shelter, the Iranian Red Crescent said.

The hardest hit province was Kermanshah, where three days of mourning have been announced. More than 236 people died in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, about 10 miles from the Iraqi border. In Kermanshah’s Dalahu county, the local governor was quoted as saying that some villages had been completely destroyed.

BBC reports that in 2003, a 6.6-magnitude quake destroyed the historic city of Bam in south-east Iran, killing 26,000 people.

Sunday's quake is the deadliest to hit Iran since 2012. But it is only the sixth earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 or more in 2017; there were 16 last year and 19 the year before.

By Thea Morrison

Photo source: CNN