Quake-stricken victims in SW Iran to receive compensation
Head of the Headquarters for Executing the Order of Imam Khomeini Mohammad Mokhber said the organization will grant ex gratia payment to the people whose houses were destroyed in recent earthquake in southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-ahmad.
Visiting the quake-hit areas on Tuesday, Mokhber said the organization has so far sent food packages, blankets, tents, heaters and medical items for the people of the region.
The first priority is to rebuild the houses that were completely destroyed and the organization will grant 100 million rials ex gratia payment to the owners of the destroyed houses, he said.
An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale hit the southwestern province last Wednesday, forcing people in the capital city of Yasuj and neighboring Sisakht town to flee their homes.
The quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers and was reportedly felt in several other cities and towns in the region, particularly affected Sisakht and left at least 60 people injured and damaged hundreds of homes.
Mokhber added that more than 100 shelters for temporary accommodation of the people have been sent to the region.
On Friday, Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani urged speedy relief operations in the quakestricken areas.
Iran sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity. In June, a quake near Mount Damavand, Iran’s highest peak, killed one person and injured more than 20 just east of the capital Tehran.
On November 12, 2017, the western province of Kermanshah was hit by a major 7.3 magnitude quake that killed 620 people.
The deadliest quake in Iran’s modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Roudbar, Manjil, and Loushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.
The city of Bam in the southeastern province of Kerman also witnessed a strong quake in December 2003 which killed 31,000 people.