Search for survivors called off
TEHRAN: Iranian officials said there was little chance of finding more survivors from the earthquake that shook parts of western Iran on Sunday, killing at least 450 people, and rescue operations had now been called off, state television reported yesterday.
Survivors, many left homeless by the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck villages and towns in a mountainous area bordering Iraq, battled overnight temperatures just above freezing and faced another bleak day yesterday in need of food and water.
President Hassan Rouhani arrived in the morning in the stricken Kermanshah province and promised that the government would “use all its power to resolve the problems in the shortest time”.
At least 14 provinces in Iran were affected by the quake which destroyed two villages, damaged 30 000 houses and left thousands injured. Thousands of people huddled in makeshift camps, while many others chose to spend a second night in the open. They said they feared more tremors, after some 193 aftershocks were registered.
A homeless young woman in Sarpol-e Zahab, one of the hardest-hit towns, told state TV that her family was exposed to the night cold because of the lack of tents.
“We need help. We need everything… The authorities should speed up their help.”
Television footage showed rescue workers combing through the rubble of dozens of villages, immediately after the quake. But Iranian officials said chances of finding any more survivors were remote.
“The rescue operations in Kermanshah province have ended,” Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s emergency medical services, said.
Iran’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, offered his condolences on Monday and called on government agencies to do all they could to help.
The Iranian army, the elite Revolutionary Guards and its affiliated Basij militia forces were dispatched to affected areas on Sunday night.
Hospitals in nearby provinces took in many of the injured, state television said, airing footage of survivors waiting to be treated. Hundreds of critically injured were transferred to hospitals in Tehran.
Iran’s Red Crescent said emergency shelter had been provided for thousands of homeless people, but the lack of water and electricity as well as blocked roads in some places hindered aid supply efforts.
“People in some villages are still in dire need of food, water and shelter,” the governor of Qasr-e Shirin, Faramarz Akbari, said.