Iraqi government orders financial compensation for earthquake victims in Kurdistan

The Iraqi government on Sunday said that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had ordered the payment of financial compensation for the victims of a violent earthquake that hit the Kurdistan Region.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi government on Sunday said that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had ordered the payment of financial compensation for the victims of a violent earthquake that hit the Kurdistan Region.

On Nov. 12, a devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake rocked the border areas of the Kurdistan Region and Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat).

Nine civilians were killed in the Kurdistan Region province of Sulaimani, Halabja, and surrounding areas, with scores more injured.

Meanwhile, over 500 casualties were reported in Kermanshah in Rojhelat, with hundreds more injured, according to state media.

An Iraqi government statement said Prime Minister Abadi had ordered “the disbursement of funds to help the affected and for the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by the earthquake in the provinces of Sulaimani and Diyala.”

The Sulaimani district of Darbandikhan was the hardest hit by the horrific earthquake, claiming the lives of four people—three of them Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

The statement did not mention the value of the amounts allocated to the victims, but pointed out that the disbursement was “based on a report prepared by a government team after conducting a survey of the affected areas.”

The statement also said the Iraqi government had allocated three billion dinars from the 2017 Emergency Allocations Fund to cover the expenses required “for the comprehensive assessment of the damage to the Darbandikhan dam and other dams.”

On the other hand, in a meeting two days after the natural disaster, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decided to financially compensate those affected by the earthquake.

The tremor and subsequent aftershocks caused major damage to public facilities and properties, including historical buildings and dams.