7.3 Magnitude Earthquake in Kermanshah; Death Toll Exceeds 200

A powerful earthquake in Kermanshah province has caused damage to areas in western Iran, leaving dozens dead and hundreds wounded. According to reports, the earthquake was felt in Hamadan, Arak, Zanjan, Sanandaj, Tabriz, and several other cities, as well as in areas of Iraq and other countries in the region.

Final casualty and injury figures from this earthquake are not yet determined and may increase in the coming hours.

News agencies, citing Kermanshah provincial officials, report the current death toll at least “207 people” and the number of injured between 1,700 to 2,500 people. A deputy at the Ministry of Health stated that the number of victims and casualties is “increasing.”

Most of the current deaths and injuries have been reported from the cities of Sarpol-e Zahab, Qasr-e Shirin, Islam Abad-e Gharb, and Thalath Babajanani. Based on these figures, most of the citizens who lost their lives were residents of Sarpol-e Zahab. The medical center in Sarpol-e Zahab was also destroyed in the earthquake, and the injured have been mostly transferred to Qasr-e Shirin. Some reports on Monday morning also confirmed that the city has suffered significant damage. For example, Tasnim news agency stated that “half of the city’s structures remain.” No official has yet confirmed this report.

IRNA news agency states that the earthquake’s epicenter was 15 kilometers from the city of Azgale, a suburb of Kermanshah province, in an area adjacent to Iraq, with a depth of 11 kilometers below the surface. The U.S. Geological Survey stated the earthquake occurred 32 kilometers southwest of Halabja and at a depth of 34 kilometers underground.

Following the main earthquake, aftershocks continued, and minutes later, two relatively large aftershocks of 4.6 and 4 magnitude occurred.

The earthquake and aftershocks, in addition to causing damage to western regions of Iran, have forced many citizens in cities and areas where the tremors were felt to leave their homes and take to the streets.

Relief Efforts

Ali Asghar Peyvandi, head of Iran’s Red Crescent Society, in the hours following the earthquake, in a conversation with Iran’s official news agency IRNA, stated that “assessment and advancement teams from the Red Crescent have been dispatched to earthquake-affected areas and we are awaiting the assessment teams’ findings.”

The Kermanshah governor stated that 28 helicopters had been dispatched to damaged areas and debris removal operations were underway in Kermanshah cities and villages.

The head of the rescue and relief organization also said early Monday morning that more than 730 emergency personnel are active in the area and “the main focus of work has been on search and rescue operations for earthquake victims.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Interior Minister emphasized early Monday morning that “helicopter flights are not possible due to darkness at night and some roads have been closed.” Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli added, “We are concerned about villages because it is currently difficult to access these areas due to the darkness of night.”

The commander of the Army’s Ground Forces reported at seven in the morning of continued flights toward earthquake-affected areas. Images have also been released of aerial inspections of damaged areas by senior military officials.

At least one aircraft has also transported injured persons from Kermanshah to Tehran. Iran’s Interior Minister stated, “Due to the high volume of injured persons, it was announced that field hospitals would be established in the area.”

Initial reports indicated power cuts in the city of Qasr-e Shirin, but the city’s governor stated that “power has been restored.” Meanwhile, the deputy for civil affairs of the Kermanshah governor stated that water in earthquake-affected areas “is not drinkable.” According to some reports, power in Sarpol-e Zahab remains cut off.

News media in Iran report that it is expected that seventy thousand people will need temporary shelter. Reports of blanket shortages and problems caused by cold weather have also been released.

Ali Biatelahi, secretary of the National Earthquake Task Force in Iran, told ISNA news agency that Sunday night’s earthquake occurred in the Zagros seismic zone, which has a fault separate from the Tehran and Alborz region. Mr. Biatelahi added: Sunday night’s earthquake was very severe and extensive and we have not encountered such a case until now… if this earthquake had occurred in an area with high population density with many buildings, certainly the casualties would have been greater than the Bam earthquake.

Source: Radio Farda