The earthquake that shook Sulaimani and Chamchamal

Hazha Salih was relaxing at home, browsing Instagram, when she saw the framed photos hanging in her room begin to move. First, she thought it was her eyes playing tricks on her. She quickly realized that was not the case. 

Her father, who was watching TV in the living room, told everyone to get out of the house immediately.

"Hazha, Blind, Razya, outside right now," he shouted. "It seems to be a big one this time."

It happened on the night of Monday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Chamchamal at 9:30 pm. The quake cracked the walls of many houses, including Hazha's.

"The earthquake cracked the walls of our house, including the wall of my room, and all my framed photos fell from the wall," she told Kurdistan 24. "We spent three hours outside in the cold until it was safe to go back inside."

The earthquake registered 4.4 on the Richter scale and also shook Sulaimani city. It started in Takya town, 14 km northeast of Chamchamal district. People from Sulaimani and Chamchamal evacuated their homes in fear they would collapse on top of them.

Frightened residents listened carefully to the recommendations published by the Kurdistan Region's seismic authority and exercised caution.

According to Hazha, hundreds of people left their homes and stayed in the streets for three hours.

"It was heartbreaking to see little babies in the arms of their mothers and children in the cold, but it was promising that people were supporting each other, even if just with words," she said.

Soon fake news hit social media, claiming that the earthquake caused widespread devastation. However, local authorities refuted such reports right away and provided residents with accurate information.

Shorish subdistrict, 10 km from Chamchamal, received the lion's share of the damage. The walls of several buildings and houses were badly cracked. Luckily, however, there were no fatalities or casualties.

"It happened so suddenly," said Azad Rasul, a resident from Sulaimani city. "We were watching TV at home. We immediately left our house, and soon we saw our neighbors, all leaving their houses too."

In December 2021, there were 59 light earthquakes in the Kurdistan Region. Most of these small quakes registered three or below on the Richter scale, according to the KRG seismic authority.