Over 400 are dead and 6,700 injured after a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the northern border region between Iraq and Iran, Sunday night, collapsing buildings and completely destroying villages in remote areas.

According to The Guardian, the quake struck at 9:20 PM local time and officials expect the death toll and number of injured to rise significantly as they begin to reach more remote areas.

Kermanshah province was the hardest hit, with 236 people having died in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, approximately 16 kilometres from the Iraq border and where three days of mourning have been announced. The local governor of Dalahu county was quoted as saying that some villages had been completely destroyed.

“Sarpol-e Zahab has only one hospital, which was demolished in this incident. All patients and hospital staff have been buried beneath the rubble, so it cannot offer any service,” said Farhad Tajari, the region’s local MP told local media. Tajari himself lost 15 members of his own family in the quake, according to The Guardian.

Picture of the aftermath of the strong earthquake show extent of damage in Kermanshah province. pic.twitter.com/2fIQBT6aFT

— Abdulla Hawez (@abdullahawez) November 13, 2017

The quake was centred approximately 31 kilometres (19 miles) outside Halabja, a city of about 200,000 residents located 240 km (150 mi) northeast of Baghdad.

According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of 23.2 kilometres (14.4 miles). Quakes at shallower depths can have broader damage but a magnitude-7 earthquake on its own is capable of widespread, heavy damage.

The earthquake is said to be the deadliest in 2017, eclipsing September’s Mexico City earthquake where approximately 370 were killed.

Four earthquakes have struck in different areas of the world in a 24-hour period, including this one.

- A 6.5 magnitude quake struck near the tourist area of Jaco, Costa Rica, with two people seriously injured but no fatalities or major damage reported.

- A 5.8 magnitude quake off Japan's east coast, struck in the sea approximately 294 kilometres southeast of the Japanese city of Kamaishi, but that quake was not strong enough to cause any damage on land.

- And most recently, a 4.7 magnitude quake struck northern California, inland from Monterey Bay near the town of Gonzales but there have been no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

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