Last Updated Nov 12, 2017 7:29 PM EST
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian officials say the powerful magnitude 7.2 earthquake that hit the region along the border between Iran and Iraq on Sunday killed at least 61 people and injured 300 in Iran.
Iranian state TV also says that Iraqi officials have reported six deaths and 200 injuries inside Iraq, although there has not been any official confirmation from Iraq’s government. The TV report also says Iraqis reported more than 50 people injured in Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah province and about 150 were hurt in Khanaquin city
Deputy Gov. Mojtaba Nikkerdar of Iran’s Kermanshah province told state television exact numbers would not be available for hours.
The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the quake on its website, placing its epicenter around 19 miles, or 31 kilometers, outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja and issuing an “orange” alert for “shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.”
USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Pirhossein Koulivand, head of Iran’s emergency medical services, told a local television station that the earthquake led to a power outage in the country’s western cities of Mehran and Ilam.
He also said 35 rescue teams were providing assistance.
“Damage has been reported in at least eight villages,” Morteza Salim, the chief of Iran’s Red Crescent Organisation, told IRINN. “Some other villages have suffered power cuts and their telecommunications system has also been disturbed.”
Iranian social media was abuzz Sunday night with posts of people evacuating their homes, particularly in Kermanshah and Ghasr-e Shirin, where injured people were thought to be buried under the rubble.
The semi-official Iranian ILNA news agency reported that at least 14 provinces were affected by the earthquake.
Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to near-daily quakes. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.Iran is prone to near daily quakes as it sits on many major fault lines. In 2003, a 6.6 magnitude flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people.
In Iraq, mosques in the capital Baghdad have been saying prayers through loudspeakers, BBC News reported.
© 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
