Iran-Iraq earthquake death toll rises to 407

ANKARA

The death toll in Iran from Sunday’s earthquake has risen to 407, with almost 7,000 injured, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency.

The epicenter of the quake was located around 32 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the city of Halabja, near the Iranian border, and 103 kilometers (64 miles) southeast of the city of Sulaymaniyah, at a depth of 33 kilometers, and hit at 9:18 p.m. local time (1818GMT), said the U.S. Geological Survey.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei extended his condolences to the Iranian people, especially the bereaved families of those killed in the earthquake.

“It is with deep sorrow that I've received tragic news of an earthquake, resulting in death & injury of our dear countrymen, causing much damage,” Khamenei tweeted.

The Kermanshah Governor’s Office said there will be three days of mourning in the province.

Kermanshah’s deputy governor had earlier announced the death toll was 129 with around 1,000 injured, according to Fars.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he appointed Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri to mobilize resources to help earthquake victims.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Interior Ministry said seven people were killed and 321 injured in northern Iraq.

According to Iraqi media, the earthquake damaged buildings in parts of Kirkuk and Sulaymaniyah.

The quake was followed by a dozen aftershocks ranging from 3.1 to 4.1 in magnitude, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It damaged telephone cables, Internet connections, and power lines throughout various towns and villages.

The quake also destroyed a number of buildings in rural areas and caused cracks in the walls of villages and towns some 122 km (76 miles) west of the city of Kermanshah, Fars reported.

The earthquake was also felt in Turkey's southeastern and eastern regions, including the Diyarbakir, Batman, Mardin, Hakkari, Van, Mus and Sirnak provinces.

It was also felt as far away as Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon and Pakistan.