2012 Ahar-Varzaqan earthquakes

The 2012 Ahar-Varzaqan earthquakes occurred near the city of Ahar, East Azerbaijan Province, in northwestern Iran on August 11, 2012, at 16:53 Iran Standard Time (UTC+03:30). The pair of destructive earthquakes were rated at 6.4. and 6.3, and were separated by eleven minutes. The epicenter of the earthquake was reported to be 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Tabriz.At least 300 people died and more than 2,600 others injured, primarily in the rural and mountainous areas to the northeast of Tabriz, though 45 deaths occurred in the city of Ahar. The earthquake could be felt in Armenia and Azerbaijan but no major damage or injuries were reported there.

Iran is prone to frequent severe earthquakes because several major fault lines cross the country. It suffered devastating quakes in 2003 and 1990 that killed 26,000 and 40–50,000 people, respectively.

Damage and casualties

Iran's state television had reported the quake hit near the towns of Ahar, Heris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan Province at 4:53 p.m. local time (12:23 GMT). At least 250 people were confirmed dead, with more than 2,000 others injured. According to the head of Iran's Rescue and Relief Organisation, access to villages was cut and the only communication was via radio. The worst damage and most casualties were in villages near the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Heris. Sixty-six rescue teams have been sent to the affected region, along with about 200 ambulances and five helicopters. Press TV reported at least 60 villages sustained damage ranging between 50 and 80 percent, while six others were completely leveled. At least 45 deaths and more than 500 injuries were reported from Ahar, where electricity and phone lines were cut after the quakes. More than 40 people died in the city of Varzaqan and 50 were killed in Heris.

Most parts of Tabriz were also without electricity, and the city was reportedly paralyzed by a large traffic jam. No casualties were reported from the area in the first hours after the quakes struck, although some buildings had suffered structural damage. Over 200 people in Varzaqan and Ahar were extricated from under the debris of collapsed buildings, while local provincial officials asked people in the region to stay outdoors during the night because of the danger of aftershocks. Residents were reportedly in need of bread, tents and drinking water.

As rescue teams continued working to find survivors through the night, Iranian officials said they expected the death toll to rise. Between 10 and 20 villages close to the epicenter were still cut off from the outside world and it would take some time to reach them. According to government estimates, at least 16,000 people would spend the first night after the tremors in emergency shelters.

Aftershocks

Since the main shock hit northeast of Tabriz, at least 80 aftershocks have been felt, with the strongest measuring 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale and occurring just 11 minutes after the initial 6.4 jolt. A 5.0 quake struck three hours later, and early on 12 August local time a 5.1 aftershock struck only 31 km southwest of Ahar. 

The 7.4 magnitude 1990 Manjil-Rudbar earthquake occurred southeast of Tabriz near the Caspian Sea, killing approximately 50,000 people.

 

:: بازديد : 1064


:: برچسب‌ها: Earthquake , Ahar , Varzaqan , Heris , East Azerbaijan ,

نويسنده : rounia تاريخ : [یکشنبه 1391/05/22 ] [ 17:02 ب.ظ] نظرات (0)

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