Download Dozens Killed by Earthqukes in Iran

Dozens Killed by Earthquakes in Iran
Friday March 31 2006
Three earthquakes and several aftershocks claimed the lives of at least 70 people in
Western Iran, on Thursday and Friday. Around 1 200 people were also injured as homes
were destroyed.
The first quake, with a magnitude of 4.7, struck a mountainous region on Thursday night
local time, followed by a second measuring 5.1 which hit the industrial cities of
Boroujerd and Doroud. A third tremor, measuring 6.0, hit Doroud and surrounding
villages on Friday morning, while a number of aftershocks were registered.
Officials said around 330 villages in the area had been damaged. Provincial official Ali
Barani added that several villages hardest hit had been flattened.
The death toll was unlikely to rise any further, the officials announced. Many causalities
were in bed when the quake struck. Other people fled their homes in panic, with many
spending the night in open spaces.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: “We are always prepared to extend
humanitarian assistance to people around the world.”
The earthquakes have been classified as moderate, but such quakes have killed thousands
of people in the past in the Iranian countryside where houses are often made of mud
bricks.
In February 2005, a 6.4 magnitude quake hit the town of Zarand in Southern Iran, killing
612 and injuring more than 1400.
A magnitude 6.6 quake flattened the historic South Eastern city of Bam in the same
region in December 2003, killing 27 000 people.
Iran is situated on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least
one slight quake everyday on average.