Kurdistan government suspends work in all institutions
The capital city of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Erbil. Photo: David Stanley/Flickr/Business Insider
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced the suspension of work in all institutions for a period of three days, including schools, to protect the lives of citizens for fear of aftershocks.
“In order to protect the lives of citizens, and based on the report of the Ministry of Transport, the KRG decided to suspend the work for a period of three days, from February 7 to February 9, in all institutions in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, including public education centers,” the spokesperson of the KRG, Jutiar Adel, mentioned in a statement.
The Iraqi Civil Defense called on citizens, on Monday, to be cautious and to act according to their instructions to reduce loss of life and injuries, indicating that the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria is different from previous earthquakes that occurred in Iran.
Early Monday, a devastating earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Turkey near the city of Gaziantep, and areas in northern Syria, and was felt by residents in Iraq and Lebanon.
The earthquake hit 26 kilometers east of Nurdagi city of Gaziantep province in south-central Turkey, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
According to CNN, the strongest aftershock, measuring 6.7 in magnitude, struck around 32 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the original earthquake’s epicenter about 11 minutes later.
Thousands of people were killed and thousands were injured in Turkey and Syria, officials from both countries mentioned.
Hundreds of buildings were destroyed in southern Turkey and northern Syria, where the earthquake shook cities and towns.
On Monday, northern and western regions of Iraq, especially in the governorates of Nineveh, Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah witnessed a series of aftershocks due to the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.
The Iraqi Meteorological Organization and Seismology of the Ministry of Transport announced that the capital, Baghdad, was affected by the tremors of the second earthquake that struck Turkey.