Two Iranian quakes kill almost 300

Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran struggled to cope with earthquake victims yesterday as rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two quakes killed nearly 300 people and injured about 5,000.

Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the street after Saturday’s powerful quakes in fear of more aftershocks, 60 of which had already struck.

A lack of tents and other supplies left them exposed to the night chill, one witness told Reuters.

“I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” said Tahir Sadati, a local photographer. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets, and bread.”

The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan, and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported.

Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and that his body had already been found.

“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, he said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.”

But Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by yesterday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s Press TV said.

Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil, and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated.

Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances. Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a local college student.

“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.”

The US Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60km northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub. The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 49km northeast of Tabriz.

More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the quakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency. About 130 villages suffered more than 70% damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said.

Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. Shaji’i told ISNA that 2,600 people are believed to be injured.