7.3 magnitude earthquake in Kermanshah; death toll rises to over 200
A strong earthquake in Kermanshah province has caused damage to areas in western Iran, leaving dozens dead and hundreds injured. The quake was reportedly felt in Hamedan, Arak, Zanjan, Sanandaj, Tabriz and several other cities, as well as in parts of Iraq and other countries in the region.
The final number of victims and injured in this earthquake is not yet known and may increase in the coming hours.
News agencies, citing Kermanshah provincial officials, have put the current death toll at at least “207 people” and the number of injured at between 1,700 and 2,500. The deputy health minister says the number of victims and injured in the incident is “increasing.”
The majority of the current deaths and injuries have been reported from the cities of Sar-e-Pul-Zahab, Qasr-e-Shirin, Islamabad Gharb, and Salas Babajani. Based on these statistics, most of the citizens who lost their lives were residents of Sar-e-Pul-Zahab. The Sar-e-Pul-Zahab medical center was also destroyed in the earthquake, and the injured were mainly sent to Qasr-e-Shirin. Some reports on Monday morning also confirmed that the city had suffered extensive damage. For example, Tasnim news agency said that “half of the city’s structures remain.” No official has yet confirmed this report.
The IRNA news agency said the epicenter of the earthquake was 15 kilometers from the city of Azgaleh in Kermanshah province, in a region bordering Iraq, and its depth was 11 kilometers below the surface. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake occurred 32 kilometers southwest of Halabja and at a depth of 34 kilometers.
After the main earthquake, aftershocks continued, and minutes later, two relatively large aftershocks of magnitude 4.6 and 4 occurred.
In addition to causing damage to western regions of Iran, the earthquake and aftershocks have caused many citizens in cities and areas where the tremors were felt to leave their homes and take to the streets.
Relief
Ali Asghar Peyvandi, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, stated in an interview with Iran's official news agency, IRNA, in the early hours after the earthquake that "Red Crescent assessment and advance teams have been dispatched to the earthquake-stricken areas and we are awaiting the assessment teams' announcement."
The governor of Kermanshah said that 28 helicopters have been dispatched to the damaged areas and that debris removal is underway in the cities and villages of Kermanshah.
The head of the relief and rescue organization also said in the early hours of Monday morning that more than 730 rescue workers were active in the area and that "most of the search and rescue work for earthquake victims has been completed."
On the other hand, Iran's Interior Minister emphasized on Monday morning that "due to the darkness of the night, it is not possible for helicopters to fly and some roads have been closed." Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli added, "We have concerns about the villages because it is now difficult to access these areas due to the darkness of the night."
The commander of the Iranian Army Ground Forces announced at 7 a.m. that flights to the earthquake-stricken areas would continue. Images of senior army officials' aerial inspections of the affected areas have also been released.
At least one plane carrying the injured has also left Kermanshah for Tehran. Iran's interior minister said, "Due to the high volume of casualties, it was announced that field hospitals would be set up in the region."
Initial reports indicated a power outage in the city of Qasr-e Shirin, but the city's governor says "power has been restored." Meanwhile, the deputy governor of Kermanshah for civil affairs says the water in the earthquake-hit areas is "undrinkable." According to some reports, power is still out in Sar-e Pol-e Zahab.
Iranian news outlets say 70,000 people are expected to need temporary shelter. There have also been reports of blanket shortages and problems caused by the cold weather.
Ali Beitollahi, secretary of the National Earthquake Working Group in Iran, told ISNA that the earthquake on Sunday night occurred in the Zagros tectonic region, which has a separate fault from the Tehran and Alborz areas. Mr. Beitollahi added: “The earthquake on Sunday night was very strong and widespread, and we had never encountered anything like this before… If this earthquake had occurred in an area with a high population density and many buildings, the casualties would certainly have been even greater than the Bam earthquake.”
Source: Radio Farda
