Massive earthquake of 7.3 magnitude strikes Iraq-Iran; over 328 killed, 1700 injured

At least 328 people died and over 1700 were injured after a massive earthquake of 7.3 magnitudes rattled northern Iraq near the border with Iran on late Sunday evening.

The deaths have occurred on the Iranian side and the numbers of the dead & wounded are swiftly increasing after earthquake magnitude 7.3 shook Iran's western province. The latest numbers of death were 328, reported news agency AFP.

Earlier, Iranian news agency ISNA reported that 61 people killed and over 300 were injured in Kermanshah province on the Iraqi border and "some (people) might be buried under the rubble."

Six others were reported dead on the Iraq side of the border.

“We are in the process of setting up three emergency relief camps,” said Mojtaba Nikkerdar, the deputy governor of Iran’s Kermanshah province.

The Iranian officials said, at least eight villages were hit in Iran and rescue teams have been dispatched to those areas. The quake-hit villages suffered electricity cut while telecommunication services were also disturbed.

The quake struck in Halabja, southeast of Sulaymaniyah, a city in the Kurdish region of Iraq near Iran border at around 9:20 PM and had a depth of 33.9 kilometres (21 miles), the USGS said.

The tremors of the massive quake were felt as far away as Turkey, Israel, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

As it happened:

# Iran earthquake toll rises to 207 dead, 1,700 injured

# Iran quake toll rises to 164 dead & 1,600 injured

# Over 140 killed, 860 injured in 7.2-magnitude earthquake along Iran-Iraq border

# Canada PM Justin Trudeau expresses his deepest sympathies to the families affected by the earthquake.

Tragic news from Iran and Iraq today. Canadians offer their deepest sympathies to the families affected by the earthquake in the region.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 13 November 2017

# Death toll rises to 129 in Iranian quake: state media (Source: AFP)

Death toll rises to 129 in Iranian quake: state media (Source: AFP)

— ANI (@ANI) November 13, 2017

# Death reports also coming from Iran. Six people are reportedly killed. Death numbers increase to 67.

# Official death toll in earthquake on Iran-Iraq border: 61, Injured: More than 300

Iranian officials raise death toll to at least 61, more than 300 injured during earthquake on Iran-Iraq border region: AP

— ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2017

# Water supply in the province has been disrupted, being repaired.

# Airborne Emergency team of Qazvin was on standby for the rescue operation of earthquake victims in Kermanshah

# Iraq-Iran earthquake: The numbers of the dead & wounded are swiftly increasing after earthquake magnitude 7.2 shook Iran's western province.

# Death toll rises to 61, over 300 injured in Kermanshah province on the Iraqi border: Iranian news agency ISNA

# "For the moment, we have 30 deaths in different cities," Mojtaba Nikkerdar, the deputy governor of Kermanshah province said, underscoring that the toll could rise further.

People took to Twitter and posted videos and pictures of post-earthquake chaos.

First shots from #Iraq #Iran border #earthquake #deprem@Toplumsal_Afet pic.twitter.com/95IX4ePri4

— Bulut MedicEducate® (@MedicEducate) November 12, 2017

Some Iranian villages damaged by #earthquake pic.twitter.com/dmBWDIAbLT

— sahand (@sahand2016) November 12, 2017

Iraq: video showing the chaos in coffee shop in #Sulaymaniyah after an #earthquake pic.twitter.com/f8cSmXcYIM

— Ali Al Shouk (@alialshouk) November 12, 2017

# Rescue teams have been deployed in the area amid fears the death toll will rise.

# At least six people have died so far and as much as 50 are reportedly injured. Death toll to rise further.

# Massive earthquake magnitude 7.3 hits Iraq-Iran border region: US Geological Survey (USGS)