Hunt for quake survivors ends as 250 dead

Rescuers have ended the search for survivors of twin earthquakes in north-western Iran that killed at least 250 people and injured more than 2,600.

At least 20 villages were totally levelled, state television reported. Ahmad Reza Shajiei, a senior government official in charge of rescue operations, said 5,000 tents had been set up to shelter more than 16,000 homeless.

Thousands spent the night outdoors after their villages were levelled and homes damaged in the powerful quakes, which were followed by 36 aftershocks.

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Television video showed people being evacuated on stretchers, while others were treated for broken limbs and concussions.

Dozens of families were sleeping on blankets laid out on the ground in parks.

Some were crying, and others shivered from the cold in the mountainous region hit by the quake, near the border with Azerbaijan.

More than 1,100 rescuers worked through the night to pull out those trapped under rubble and to reach some of the more remote villages affected. Some 15 dogs were brought in to search for survivors.

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By yesterday afternoon, state television reported that search operations had ceased. The government’s attention shifted to providing shelter to the homeless and removing debris.

The US Geological Survey reported that Saturday’s first quake at was magnitude 6.4 and struck 35 miles north-east of the city of Tabriz at a depth of 6.2 miles. State TV quoted local Crisis Committee chief Khalil Saei as saying the epicentre was a region between the towns of Ahar and Haris, about 350 miles north-west of the capital Tehran.

The second quake was a magnitude 6.3 and struck 11 minutes later, the USGS reported. Its epicentre was 30 miles north-east of Tabriz at a depth of 6.1 miles.

The quakes hit the towns of Ahar, Haris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province, state television reported. In addition to 20 villages destroyed, more than 130 others sustained heavy damage, state TV said.

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The aftershocks were felt in a wide region near the Caspian Sea, causing panic among the people.

“The moment the earthquake hit, it was like a snake biting from underground. It was the worst experience of my life,” said villager Morteza Javid.

“The walls were shaking and moving from side to side. It took about a minute before I could run out of the house,” he said. “Seconds before the earthquake, crows were making a lot of noise, but I didn’t understand why. It was only after the quake that I learned the crows were warning us.”

Javid, 47, said he drove more than a dozen injured people to hospitals in his car during the night.

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Officials have announced two days of mourning in East Azerbaijan province.

Interior minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the government would allocate funds to rebuild the houses destroyed in the quake, aiming to complete the construction before the arrival of the cold winter.

Mr Najjar said the plans aim to construct buildings resistant to earthquake. Most of the houses in rural areas are built of mud, and they can crumble when even a moderate quake hits.

Iran is located on seismic fault lines and is prone to earthquakes. It experiences at least one earthquake every day on average, although most are so small they go unnoticed. In 2003, 26,000 people were killed by a magnitude 6.6 quake that flattened the historic south-eastern city of Bam.

According to Mr Najjar, several foreign countries have offered assistance, but he said Iran did not need outside help and could manage the situation. He did not name the countries.

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