Iran: More than 400 injured after 6.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Kermanshah province
No deaths were reported in the earthquake, which struck close to the western border with Iraq.
Over 400 people were injured after an earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck western Iran on Sunday, Reuters reported. No fatalities were reported.
“We have had 411 injured, 80% of whom have been treated and released... no fatalities have been reported,” Kermanshah Governor Houshang Bazvand told state TV. Kermanshah is a province located near the country’s western border with Iraq.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake struck near Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah at a depth of 10 km, around 8 pm local time. Tremors were also felt in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and in Kuwait. Bazvand said more than 200 people were injured in Sarpol-e Zahab near the epicentre.
“No reports of any fatalities yet and most of the injured were hurt while fleeing, not due to quake damage,” said Iran’s emergency services chief Pirhossein Koulivand.
Kermanshah Medical Sciences University Mahmoud Reza Moradi Chancellor put the number of injured at 387, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Iran sits on fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the same region last year had killed more than 600 people and injured more than 9,000. In August, two people had died and 241 were injured when a 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the province.
While Sunday’s earthquake triggered landslides, officials said all roads in the area remained open to traffic and electricity had been restored in most places. According to reports, 23 operational teams have been dispatched to the affected areas. All schools and universities across Kermanshah province will remain closed on Monday.