The deadliest earthquake of 2017, killing at least 630 people on the Iran–Iraq border and injuring over 8,100 more.
Key Facts
- Moment Magnitude
- 7.4
- Date and Time (UTC)
- 12 November 2017, 18:18 UTC
- Deaths
- At least 630 people
- Injured
- More than 8,100 people
- Epicentre distance from Halabja
- 30 kilometres south of Halabja km
- Felt as far as
- Israel and the United Arab Emirates
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Seismic stress along the Iran–Iraq border region, a tectonically active zone where the Arabian and Eurasian plates converge, produced a rupture beneath the Kurdish areas straddling the two countries, near the city of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan and Ezgeleh in Kermanshah province, Iran.
On 12 November 2017, a moment magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck 30 kilometres south of Halabja at 18:18 UTC. The tremor was felt across a wide area including Israel and the United Arab Emirates, causing severe destruction in Kurdish-populated communities on both sides of the border.
At least 630 people were killed, predominantly in the Halabja area of Iraqi Kurdistan and in Iran's Kermanshah province, with more than 8,100 injured and many others unaccounted for. The earthquake was recorded as the deadliest worldwide in 2017, prompting emergency relief operations across the affected border regions.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 630 (earthquake)