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| The earthquake razed
entire villages to the ground |
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1972: Earthquake kills thousands in Iran |
Artificially 1969:
The Up to 4,000 people are thought to have died
in a massive earthquake in southern Iran. The quake centred on the town of
Ghir, where almost 1,000 people were feared dead.
The nearby city of Jahrom was also hit, and the tremors were also felt in the ancient city
of Shiraz, 100 miles (160 km) away.
Ghir, a busy farming town of about 7,000 people, is reported to have
been destroyed, along with up to 60 of the surrounding villages.
Victims trapped
General Mohammad Fazelli, in charge of rescue and relief operations,
said it was feared there are many more people buried under the debris.
When asked how many, he remarked, "God knows."
The governor-general of the area, Manucher Pirouz, said, "The
earthquake was so devastating and has levelled so many homes in as many as
30 villages that it will take days to find out the death toll."
Mr Pirouz flew to the area by helicopter shortly after the first
earthquake, and spoke of the damage he had seen during a two-hour flight
over the epicentre.
"There was not a single dwelling above the ground," he said. He
described survivors staggering among the ruins. "One cried out for his
children, another for his father, another for her mother," he said.
Buried
The quake hit early this morning, when many of those living in the
remote, rural area were already on their way out to the fields.
It's thought most of those who died were the women and children left
behind at home and buried under the ruins of their houses.
Smaller tremors have continued to shake the region for most of the day,
causing panic among survivors.
Most of those not killed by the quake are camping out on the open
plains, staying near their villages to help with the rescue effort.
Planes have been flying into the stricken area all day dropping food,
blankets and medical supplies to survivors. Doctors and medical supplies
are also being flown in.
Tehran University measured the initial shock at 7.1 on the Richter
scale, making it one of the strongest in Iran's history.
It comes four years after Iran's worst earthquake of recent years, when
about 20,000 died in the northern province of Khorassan.
