Kurdistan Region rocked by a 4.3-magnitude earthquake
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A 4.3 magnitude earthquake struck part of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region in the early hours of Saturday, without causing any casualties, according to the government.
The tremor, which was “felt across many cities in the Kurdistan Region,” extended from Erbil to the Nineveh provinces, a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Transport and Communications.
No civilian casualties have been reported yet, Kurdistan 24 has learned.
Residents in Khabat, 8.2 km (5 miles) in western Erbil province, prominently felt the quake, which forced many to leave their houses.
“The first quake was very strong, which was followed by a lesser one,” a Khabat resident told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday, adding people had stayed outdoors until dawn.
Footages shared with Kurdistan 24 showed wide cracks in a resident’s house and a broken windshield of a car from a falling rock.
“The whole house was shaking,” the owner of the vehicle told Kurdistan 24, explaining the moment the tremors rocked his residence.
هاووڵاتییەک لە قەزای خەبات ئەم پارچە ڤیدیۆیەی بۆ کوردستان24 ناردووە و دەڵێت: بەهۆی بوومەلەرزەکەی بەرەبەیانی ئەمڕۆ ئەم خانووە زیانی بەرکەوتووە. pic.twitter.com/GYy59J9EW6
— Kurdistan24 (@kurdistan24tv) February 25, 2023
Although the Kurdistan Region does not sit on major fault lines, like neighboring countries, regional tremors are often felt across its provinces.
In a workshop to revise building codes in Erbil last week, experts discussed ways to bolster the resistance of residential buildings in face of earthquakes. Prime Minister Masrour Barzani attended the meeting.
Read More: PM Barzani attends workshop on earthquake protection in Kurdistan Region