Quake destroyed 20 villages
23/02/2005 08:05  - (SA)  

Want to know more? Answerit can help.

A view of the village of Hotkan, which was destroyed by an earthquake. (Vahid Salemi, AP)

Wuake killed up to 500 More quake deaths expected Quake destroyed villages Iran Quake Gallery

Tehran - Relief efforts intensified on Wednesday in southeastern Iran following the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that struck the area on Tuesday, leaving at least 420 people dead and more than 1 000 injured, news reports said.

Many victims of the disaster spent the cold winter night in tents or in the open, the reports said.

The epicentre of the quake was in Kerman province, near the city of Zerand, which has 130 000 residents. Local residents said about 20 area villages were destroyed.

The Iranian army provided helicopters for relief operations and transport planes were dispatched to fly in needed supplies. The Iranian news agency IRNA reported that rescue operations were hampered by heavy rains.

Local authorities were quoted as saying no foreign assistance was needed at the moment. - dpa

- SAPA

What is this? Yahoo Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Brought to you by OUTsurance Car Insurance
	News24 Headlines on your Facebook profile		News24 on mobile