With
additional reporting by Riyad Zeinel-Din, IOL correspondent
TEHRAN,
June 22 (IslamOnline & News agencies) - The latest death toll of
the deadly earthquake that devastated northern and western Iran
Saturday, reached more than 550 people, while more than 2000 were
injured, as the government struggled to cope with thousands of wounded
and homeless.
The
killer quake, 6.0 on the Richter scale, struck the city of Bouynzahra,
in northwestern Qazvin province, at 7:28 am (0258 GMT), and was
followed by 21 aftershocks, three of which exceeded 4.0 degrees in
intensity.
Around
the epicenter, the quake injured more than 2,000 and left at least
12,000 people homeless in the surrounding districts of Avaj and
Abgarm, the state's IRNA news agency reported.
Historical
monuments around the Qazvin area were also severely damaged, as the
organization of the cultural heritage said that the earthquake caused
the destruction of the historical twin towers in Khakan.
The
tremors also rocked the western Hamedan province, Tehran province,
Central province, the northern Gilan and Ardebil provinces and the
western Zanjan and Kordestan provinces, state television said.
The
quake flattened mountain villages and ripped shockwaves as far the
capital, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) to the east.
"Inhabitants
in the affected areas are horrified," IRNA said.
State
television showed dust-covered quake survivors kneeling and crying on
the mangled ruins of their homes.
Casualties
mounted through the day, as officials worked feverishly to provide aid
to the eight provinces wrecked by the quake.
"With
every moment that passes, the number of casualties rises," said
Bouynzahra official Amir Zaherkhani, cited by the state IRNA news
agency.
Aid
workers were now running short on tents for the wounded and homeless,
he said.
Six
villages in the Bouynzahra district were "completely
destroyed," IRNA added.
Earlier,
with the injury count in Avaj at only 120, hospitals were already
full, IRNA reported.
A
total of 52 sub-districts in Avaj had suffered damage of between 50
and 100 percent, state television said.
"The
number of injured people is very high; exact figures are still not
available, but there will be many casualties," said Majid
Shalviri, who heads the Red Crescent society in Qazvin.
In
the western Hamedan province, three people were said to have been
killed and more than 100 others injured.
An
official at Iran's seismological institute, who asked not to be named,
said province officials were being warned about the threat of more
aftershocks.
He
added, "we have called on them to evacuate inhabitants in areas
most at risk from suffering... further quakes."
For
its part, IRNA quoted an official as saying "aftershocks of
Saturday's quake will be felt for the coming two weeks."
 |
| Villagers
look on as a bulldozer searches for bodies in Abdareh village. |
Ten
villages in Razan and three villages in Kabutarahang, both districts
of Hamedan province, suffered damage of between 50 and 70 percent,
state radio reported.
Relief
workers have been sent to the area, with dozens of helicopters en
route as well.
The
tremor was felt strongly throughout Tehran, Iran's 10-million strong
capital, moving furniture and breaking china, especially in the
northern residential district of Farmanieh.
People
went out into the streets "to find out what was going on"
and "to be reassured," a building concierge told AFP.
President
Mohammad Khatami, who expressed his condolences to the nation, has
called on officials to "cooperate with each other in order to be
able to provide swift help to the victims," state radio said.
Shocked
by the horror, France, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait offered help to
Iran. Russia has also offered assistance to the Iranians.
Iran
is one of the most quake-prone regions in the world, with almost daily
tremors.
The
extent of damages is often increased by the weak structure of
buildings, while relief efforts are generally hampered by badly built
roads.
Newspaper
reports regularly warn of possible severe earthquakes, while academic
studies advise officials of the need to take measures to reduce
potential damage and increase the effectiveness of relief efforts.
Saturday's
catastrophe comes nearly 12 years after the June 21, 1990 earthquake,
measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale that shook Iran's northern Gilan
province. Roudbar, the location of its epicenter, was also affected by
Saturday's quake.
The
Gilan quake left some 37,000 people dead and more than 100,000
injured, with three cities and 600 villages completely destroyed.
A
report in Saturday's Hamshahri paper, published by the Tehran
municipality, said the people of Roudbar "today still suffer from
the damages of the [1990] quake. Many of the affected areas have not
been cleaned up and rebuilt.".
