(Via The Telegraph)
By Barney Henderson
The two strong quakes struck towns and villages in northwest Iran in quick succession on Saturday, killing at least 180 people and injuring more than 1,000, according to a preliminary toll by officials.
Khalil Sa'ie, a provincial official, said 250 people had been killed and some 1,300 injured.
Gholamreza Masoumi, the head of Iran's emergency services, said those hurt were being taken to hospitals in Tabriz and Ardebil, the two biggest nearby major cities, both of which escaped relatively unscathed by the quakes.
The quakes measured 6.2 and 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale, according to Tehran University's Seismological Centre, but the US Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity worldwide, ranked them as more powerful than that, at 6.4 and 6.3, respectively.
"Sixty villages... have been heavily damaged and are in need of help," said Abbas Fallah, an MP in the hard-hit town of Ahar.
Rescue operations were called off after officials said all survivors had been found following Saturday's 6.4 and 6.3 magnitude earthquakes that flattened villages in the north-west of the country, leaving over 2,000 people injured.
"There are no people left to recover from under the rubble in any village, and all necessary aid is currently being distributed," said Hossein Ghadami, an interior ministry official in charge of disaster management. However, other officials at the ground warned that there were still scores of people buried and the death toll could rise.
Over 100 villages were badly damaged and 12 were completely destroyed, leading to an estimated 16,000 people being made homeless. Thousands of people spent the night sleeping outdoors both on Saturday night and last night, while others huddled in tents and makeshift shelters.
Emergency aid workers were struggling to reach some areas as many of the villages were inaccessible by road and phone lines were down. All the local hospitals were full.
"I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed," Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. "People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread."
By Barney Henderson
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| An injured person is taken to hospital in Ahar. Photo: REUTERS/Kamel Rouhi/Fars |
Khalil Sa'ie, a provincial official, said 250 people had been killed and some 1,300 injured.
Gholamreza Masoumi, the head of Iran's emergency services, said those hurt were being taken to hospitals in Tabriz and Ardebil, the two biggest nearby major cities, both of which escaped relatively unscathed by the quakes.
The quakes measured 6.2 and 6.0 on the moment magnitude scale, according to Tehran University's Seismological Centre, but the US Geological Survey, which monitors seismic activity worldwide, ranked them as more powerful than that, at 6.4 and 6.3, respectively.
"Sixty villages... have been heavily damaged and are in need of help," said Abbas Fallah, an MP in the hard-hit town of Ahar.
Rescue operations were called off after officials said all survivors had been found following Saturday's 6.4 and 6.3 magnitude earthquakes that flattened villages in the north-west of the country, leaving over 2,000 people injured.
"There are no people left to recover from under the rubble in any village, and all necessary aid is currently being distributed," said Hossein Ghadami, an interior ministry official in charge of disaster management. However, other officials at the ground warned that there were still scores of people buried and the death toll could rise.
Over 100 villages were badly damaged and 12 were completely destroyed, leading to an estimated 16,000 people being made homeless. Thousands of people spent the night sleeping outdoors both on Saturday night and last night, while others huddled in tents and makeshift shelters.
Emergency aid workers were struggling to reach some areas as many of the villages were inaccessible by road and phone lines were down. All the local hospitals were full.
"I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed," Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. "People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread."
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