Rescue agencies ready to help Iran quake victims

Disaster agencies were tonight on standby after up to 500 people died in an earthquake which rocked Iran.

Some 1,500 people were injured and thousands left homeless by the quake in the north-western Qazvin province, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, and tremors could be felt in the Iranian capital Tehran, about 140 miles away.

The Iranian Red Crescent was leading the relief effort, searching for survivors with specially trained dog teams, carrying out air assessments by helicopter and bringing in tents, blankets and other aid for the thousands left homeless.

The International Rescue Corps, which was called to the region in 1990 after a quake killed thousands, were put on standby by the Department for International Development (DfID).

Spokesman Gary O’Shea said: ‘‘DfID has asked us to put a team on standby and we are awaiting a formal response from the Iranian government.’’

It was not known how long that response might take to come, but Mr O’Shea said some Britons were likely to be involved in the 15-strong team, which specialises in recovering survivors, using sophisticated equipment to trace sounds under surface debris.

Mr O’Shea said Iranian teams might be able to handle the search and rescue, adding that there was only a ‘‘short window of opportunity’’ for such operations.

Outlying and remote villages could take several days to reach, meaning the death toll could rise, he said.