Powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake

More than 140 people have been killed and at least 860 believed to have been injured by tremors in Iran’s Kermanshah province, according to state media, after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck Iraq near to the Iran border.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported the death toll, with rescuers said to be stepping up efforts to find dozens trapped under rubble in both countries.

The semi-official Iranian ILNA news agency reported that at least 14 provinces had been impacted earthquake. The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an emergency services official as saying there were fears that casualties in villages and small towns could be high.