Two strong earthquakes kill at least 180 dead and 1,300 injured in Iran

Two consecutive strong earthquakes of magnitude 6.2 and 6 on the Richter scale have struck northwestern Iran, killing at least 180 dead and 1,300 wounded, the latest figures provided by the Iranian interior Mministerio. "Unfortunately, the balance increases and we are now at 180 dead and 1,300 injured," he said on state television Saie Khalil, head of the Center for East Azerbaijan natural disasters (the Iranian province where the earthquake occurred). This trial balance may rise and some sites charge more dead speak, especially in Ahar and Varzeghan. "So far, no dead in the cities and all the victims lived in rural areas," he continued, explaining that "in 60 villages have been destroyed 60% or 80% [of town] and four people at 100% " . "We do not panic. Aid arrives and rescue services are already on the site [affected]," he added. "Right now, 66 rescuers, 185 ambulances and 40 devices to locate survivors under the rubble found on the ground, where seven teams working with dogs," said an official of the rescue operation was quoted by the official Irna agency . Also, the local head of the Red Crescent has explained that "210 injured had been rescued from the rubble and taken to hospitals" provided by Irna.

Two earthquakes

The cities of Tabriz, Ardabil, Ahar, Varzeghan, Mehraban and Heris and several villages have been hit by two earthquakes and numerous aftershocks that have happened. The two earthquakes of a magnitude of 6.2 and 6 , whose epicenter was at a sexentena kilometers from the hypocenter Tabriz and about 10 kilometers underground, have beaten the region at 16:53 (the 14:23 ET peninsular Spanish) and 17:04 (14:34 on the Peninsula). In Tabriz, there is only property damage, according Saie, who explained that there were no deaths in this important city of a million and half people. A spokesman said fire department Tabriz in turn the agency ISNA that "electricity is cut in the payor party and the neighborhoods and there is a monstrous traffic in the city." "Access to the villages of the region is cut and we have only telephone contact with them," he said at first Mozafar Mahmoud, head of rescue operations for the Iranian Red Crescent Mehr agency. Also stated that he had sent helicopters and rescue teams to the region. Most of the territory of Iran, including Tehran, the capital, a city of 14 million inhabitants , is located in an area of constant earthquakes that have caused tens of thousands dead in recent decades. In December 2003, an earthquake measuring 6.2 degrees on the Richter scale killed more than 30,000 people (a quarter of the population) and at least 50,000 wounded in the city of Bam in southeastern Iran, which also destroyed the ancient citadel of the place. The deadliest earthquake in recent decades occurred in Iran in June 1990 in the northwest, in the provinces of Gilan and Zanjan, with at least 37,000 dead and 100,000 wounded.