EARTHQUAKES KILL 250 PEOPLE IN IRAN

TEHRAN, Iran - The U.S. Geological Survey reported that Saturday’s first quake at 4:53 p.m. (1223 GMT) had a magnitude of 6.4 and struck 37 miles (60 kilometres) northeast of the city of Tabriz at a depth of 9.9 kilometres (6.2 miles). Its epicenter was a region between the towns of Ahar and Haris, about 200 miles (500 kilometres) northwest of the capital Tehran, according to Khalil Saei, local Crisis Committee chief, the TV report said.
The second quake with a magnitude of 6.3 struck 11 minutes later, the U.S.G.S. reported. Its epicenter was 29 miles (48 kilometres) northeast of Tabriz at a depth of 6.1 miles (9.8 kilometres).

• The quakes hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province, the TV report said. At least six villages were totally levelled, and 60 others sustained damage ranging from 50 to 80 per cent, it said.
• At least 10 aftershocks jolted the same area and were felt in a wide region near the Caspian Sea, causing panic among the population.

The death toll from twin earthquakes in Iran has risen to 250, Iranian state television said on Sunday, while over 2,000 were injured and thousands spent the night outdoors after the quake leveled villages and damaged homes in the country’s northwest.
Images broadcast on the main news channel showed dozens of families of sleeping on blankets laid out on the ground in parks. Some were crying, others shivering from chilly weather in the mountainous region hit by the quake, near neighboring Azerbaijan.
Rescuers worked through the night to free people trapped under rubble and reach some of the more remote villages. Television also showed people being evacuated on stretchers to hospitals and clinics, while others underwent treatment on hospital beds.

Source: Agency