At least, 207 people have been left dead, while another 1,700 were injured following a magnitude 7.3 earthquake which hit northern border region of Iraq and Iran on Sunday evening, AFP reports.
Death toll is expected to rise as quake-triggered landslides have hindered rescue efforts.
Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement issued by his office that he is seeking to reassure Iraqi civilians of their safety.
There’s no immediate official number of casualties from Iraq, but local media said six lives were lost in the earthquake.
At least 129 people were killed in the border earthquake in Iran’s Kermanshah province, provincial deputy governor Mojtaba Nikkerdar told state television.
“There are still people under the rubble. We hope the number of dead and injured won’t rise too much, but it will rise,” he added.
Power cut and traffic damage are reported across borders.
Death toll of the powerful border earthquake has risen to 100, with over 1,000 other people injured in Iran, reported RT citing Iranian emergency official.
Six other fatalities were reported on the Iraq side of the border, according to AFP.
At least 61 people were killed and more than 300 injured in Iran, according to Iran’s news agency ISNA.
Another four fatalities are also reported from Iraq, according to BBC.
But the death toll in both nations is likely to rise as rescue operations are underway.
According to media reports, tremors were also felt in Turkey and Israel.
The quake was monitored outside the Iraqi city of Halabjah with an epicenter depth of 32.2 km, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
The USGS issued an orange alert in the area for “shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.”
China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) put the earthquake at magnitude 7.8 and at a depth of 20 km.
First reported by CGTN