ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Three earthquakes were recorded overnight in Kirkuk and Duhok, with the strongest reaching a 4.7 magnitude on the Richter scale, Iraq’s meteorology and seismology organization said on Monday.
Just after midnight, a 3.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded near the Kurdistan Region-Turkish border, 33 kilometers away from Duhok, and then was followed by a 4.6 magnitude tremor in the same area six minutes later. In between the two quakes in Duhok province, a 4.7 magnitude tremor was recorded in Kirkuk province.
Social media users said they had felt the overnight tremors in Erbil and Mosul, with videos online showing people leave their buildings and go outside in fear of aftershocks.
The Kurdistan Region is in an active earthquake zone. In November 2017, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake killed 10 people and injured more than 500. It caused considerable damage to buildings, mainly in the areas of Darbandikhan, Halabja, Kalar, and Khanaqin.
The meteorology and seismology organization said in its monthly report for August that they had recorded 19 earthquakes in Iraq, with 12 originating from the country and the Kurdistan Region, while the others were aftershocks from neighboring countries.
In February, the shockwaves of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria were felt in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil. Although it did not cause any casualties or severe damage, the tremor sent frightened people running out of their homes.
Experts have also repeatedly warned that buildings in Iraq and Kurdistan Region are at risk in the face of strong earthquakes.
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