BAGHDAD: An powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 has struck Iraq about 200km northeast of the capital Baghdad. the US Geological Survey said.
It initially said the quake, centered 103 kilometres southeast of the city of Halabja in As-Sulaymaniyah regions, was of a magnitude 7.2 on the Richter scale, before revising it to 7.3 and later back to 7.2.
The quake hit at 9:18 PM local time at a depth of 33 kilometers. There was no initial word on damage or injury resulting from the quake.
It was reportedly felt across the Middle East including as far away the United Arab Emirates and Turkey and strongly in Baghdad.
The are no fewer than four major tectonic plates (Arabia, Eurasia, India, and Africa) and one smaller tectonic block (Anatolia) responsible for seismic activity and tectonics in the Middle East and surrounding region.
A real earthquake has just added to the political, security, humanitarian and economic earthquakes to have hit Kurdistan & Iraq. Praying everyone affected is safe and unharmed
— Qubad Talabani (@qubadjt) November 12, 2017
