AMN
The death toll in yesterday’s 7.3 magnitude earthquake which shook the northern border region between Iran and Iraq, rose to over 400. Nearly 6000 were said to be injured. One Iranian aid agency said 70,000 people needed shelter after the quake, one of the largest this year.
The majority of those who died were in Iran’s western Kermanshah province. Many homes in the predominantly Kurdish mountainous area are made of mud bricks and are at risk of collapse. Rescue work are being hampered by landslides. Rescuers are searching for dozens trapped under rubble in the mountainous area.
The earthquake was felt in several western provinces of Iran, but the hardest hit province was Kermanshah, which announced three days of mourning.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered his condolences today, urging all government agencies to do all they could to help those affected.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condoled the loss of life and damage.
In a press release from the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) in Tehran, spokesman for the UN Chief Stephane Dujarri said, UN secretary-general conveys his condolences to the bereaved families and to the Governments and people of the Iran and Iraq. He also said United Nations stands ready to assist both the countries, if required.