The earthquake struck east of the city of Saravan, Iran, and was felt throughout much of eastern Iran and southern Pakistan, and as far away as Riyadh, Manama, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, and Delhi. Initial sources cited that close to 100 people lost their lives in Iran and that Iran had confirmed the deaths of 40, but these sources have been disputed; Iran has since officially denied death counts, only reporting injuries, as of 14:00 UTC. Although the earthquake was much stronger than previous ones in the area, the depth and the terrain/population density above the focus, as well as predominating building construction being relatively light materials such as mud and wood, meant that there were relatively few casualties in Iran, although the number of casualties was higher in the neighbouring state of Pakistan, with at least 34 reported deaths. According to the Iranian Red Crescent, all communications in the area have been cut, and rescue teams have been dispatched. Buildings were evacuated as far away as Delhi and on the Arabian Peninsula, and many buildings in Iran were completely destroyed.