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Subscribe to RSSTwo larges earthquakes hit northwestern Iran on Saturday. NBC's Brian Williams reports.
Updated at 2:40 a.m. ET: Two powerful earthquakes struck northwest Iran Saturday, killing more than 250 people and injuring about 2,000 in northwest Iran, where rescuers combed the rubble of villages through the night into Sunday, state media reported.
The U.S. Geological survey measured the first quake, which struck 37 miles northeast of the city Tabriz, at 3:25 p.m. local time (6:55 a.m. ET) with a 6.4 magnitude. The second quake, which occurred 11 minutes later, struck an area about 30 miles northeast of Tabriz with a 6.3 magnitude.
Farshid Tighehsaz / AFP - Getty Images
Residents and rescue workers search for survivors in the rubble of a house in a village near the town of Varzaqan, after twin earthquakes hit northwestern Iran on Saturday.
Most of the casualties were in outlying villages, Reuters reported.
The second quake struck near the town of Varzaghan. "The quake was so intense that people poured into the streets through fear," Fars news agency said of the town.
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A local official in the area told Iranian Students' News Agency that six villages had been completely destroyed and 60 villages had been 50 to 70 percent destroyed.
A local provincial official urged people in the region to stay outdoors during the night for fear of aftershocks, according to the official IRNA news agency. ISNA said there had been more than 40 aftershocks, measuring in magnitude between 4.5 and 5.0, according to Reuters.
Reuters reported that more than 200 people in the town of Varzaghan and Ahar had been rescued from under the rubble of collapsed buildings, an official IRNA news agency said, quoting a local official.
"Unfortunately there are still a number of people trapped in the rubble but finding them is very difficult because of the darkness," national emergency head Gholam Reza Masoumi was quoted as saying by Fars.
Kamel Rouhi / AFP - Getty Images
An Iranian medic attends to an injured woman as people gather outside a hospital in the town of Ahar, Iran, after a two strong earthquakes and multiple aftershocks hit northwestern Iran on August 11, 2012.
Photographs posted by Iranian news websites showed bodies lying on the floor in the corner of a white-tiled morgue in the town of Ahar, and medical staff, surrounded by anxious residents, treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell.
Other images showed collapsed buildings and cars flattened by rubble.
U.S. Geological Survey
A map shows the location of the two earthquakes that hit Iran Saturday evening.
Local media reports said the earthquakes had broken telephone communications to many villages, making rescue efforts harder. Lawmaker Abbas Falah said people in the region are in need of bread, tents and drinking water, Reuters reported.
The hospital in Varzaghan, staffed by just two doctors and suffering from shortages of medical supplies and food, was struggling to cope with about 500 injured, the Mehr news agency reported.
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Tabriz is a major city and trading up far from Iran’s oil producing areas and known nuclear facilities. Though buildings in the city are substantially built, homes and businesses in Iranian villages are often made of concrete blocks of mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake.
Iran is situated amid several major fault lines and is well known for its long history of devastating earthquake activity. The last major earthquake, which struck the city of Bam in December 2003, had a 6.6 magnitude and killed more than 30,000 people – about a quarter of its population – and injured an additional 30,000.
This article includes reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.
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It baffles me how some people on this website are so ignorant and can make such idiotic and cruel comments. Fact is, those making such comments have never been to Iran, and have likely never communicated with an Iranian. I'll tell you this though; as a journalist, I have traveled to Iran many times, and low and behold, they are not anything like the media makes them out to be. Just shows how much of sheep people on this website are. You've formed your opinion on these poor people based on American news sources...how legitimate. 99% of Iranians do NOT want to have any problems with the US. It is the political leaders in Iran who have caused such a mess for the country, and basically made much of the world despise them.
So for anyone to say that these poor people deserved this; do two things...first, educate yourself. Second, sit back for a second and think of what you are saying; you are wishing pain and death upon thousands of people who you have never met, who may really be great people. And they deserve this? How cold some people are...
Spot on Eric. I have been to Iran and completely agree with you. It is scary how much people can be manipulated by the media and form a strong opinion without ever actually knowing anything.
EricH432
You're a journalist? In response 409.a, what exactly is a "phaggot"? Is that like a maggot?
Who do you write for?...the mooslim mooks?
Burn all korans
If I was Muslim, I would have stated so in my comment. Who I work for is irrelevant, and does not change the fact that my comment made complete sense. Idiot.
ErichH understand this I probably care as much if not more about that region because it has a large christian minority.Whose population are the direct descendants of the people converted by Jesus Christ and the original 12 apostles.
I read Christian belief, I have read how we could or should help. Do you understand that there religion is older than Christianity.Do you understand that the evolution of Christian belief is largely based on the Koran, that many of the stories are nearly identical. Well with the exception of that kill all infidels thing. Do you understand that from birth they ALL follow there religion and are brought up to hate westerners. There is no "part" of there country that likes us. This is not one government that hates us and everyone else likes us.....THEY all hate us. Let them handle there problem and we handle ours. We The U.S. needs to stop the big brother helping hand to all of the world and take care of our own. enuf said !
You could not be farther from the truth. Your ignorance is amusing in a sense. Another imbecile brainwashed by the American media.
"They ALL hate us"
Could not be farther from the truth.
Dear God Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church which he founded is 600 years older than Islam since their founder was born 600 years after Christ was crucified. If you don't know religious history at least learn world history. You do live in that. And both were founded on Judaism which was over 5,000 yrs old when I was in school. Any Jewish person is welcome to jump in with what the year is in the Jewish calendar.
To add on to my comment; I have to say that after reading a lot of the comments on this article, I truly am losing faith in humanity. Why are people consumed with such hate? People are strongly misinformed. Trust me; Iran is not a country where every single person hates the US. Not even close. Like I said, it is a very select few, majority of whom are political leaders, who spew such hate towards the US. And as we all know, we can't really look at political leaders to get the entire picture of a country.
The majority of Iranians I have encountered (and I've encountered a lot) admire the culture of the United States, the American people, and our country as a whole. But unfortunately, these closed minded, religious fanatic politicians of Iran push a different message through the media.
Sad, sad, sad, that so many people here are wishing pain on the Iranian people.
EricH432, I have been there also, And on a face to face, yes they are some what friendly people. As 99% of the people in the U.S. are. And you seem to not understand that there core belief is still that we are evil. You must have never spoke to a racist in your travels. You know that person who would shake your hand in one moment and stab you with the same hand the next day. No they do not all run around with AK's on there back. But when it comes to you or them they will support there core belief and you will be the one taken out.
I did not wish anything on them, Nor did I say this was a good thing in anyway. My point was spacific. We need to leave this tragady to them. It is not our place to step in. Everything else I said hold true. I have studied a multitude of religions. It is unlike anywhere else in the world. " middle East" there is no freedom of any other religion there is only one. That makes for an entirely different prospective than any westerner could ever understand.
250 getting better
Not enough killed. Go back and do it again. But make sure you bring the Kardashians with you.
Yeah, because the Kardashians are Iranian...not. What a stupid comment. Not sure why I'm even taking the time of out of my day to respond to someone so stupid.
Q: You know what they call two earthquakes in Iran? A: Two short of four of a kind! Ante' up.
Isn't this where all the religious fanatic's are supposed to jump up and claim this as allah's rath for the thing's they do. As the iahtoldya's do when natural disaster strike's the serpant of evil better known as US?
Given their way of thinking propaganda of nuclear activity being the cause should make them change their way, that is if they believe the religious bull the spew when disaster strike's the west. Funny how that work's when the towel's on the other head.
2 quakes @ 6.3
Too bad it wasn't 3 quakes @ 9.9
Time to sacrifice some goats to mohammed
Shivering cold, hunger and pain have no regime ideology
Those folks in the epicenter are sitting in the dark and the cold, with no water, no food, no shelter and probably with nothing on the way. The dead surround them and they are fearing their future. I feel for them.
Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch.
The Saudis have a lot more in common with the Iranians than we do...Let them show their humanitarian generosity...What is it I hear...Their enemies...Oh well at least they worship the same god....
Have you ever been to Saudi or Iran? The fact is that the Saudi government loves America while many of the Saudi people hate America. In Iran on the other hand, the government hates America while many of the Iranian people love America.
Hey day in heaven I guess you haven't studied comparative religions. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all worship the same God. All three accept the Old Testament as revealed truth. We all differ on our interpretations of whether Jesus was God,the Messiah or just a prophet. Dear Lord save me from people who think they know what others believe. For a quick study I would suggest paragraphs 830 to 856 of the catechism of the Catholic Church which details the Catholic Church's beliefs regarding other christians,jews, muslims and pagans. All to explain the word catholic (not capitalized) in the Creed.
I don't care about Iran, why should the United States. Let their friends send them aid, if they have any other than Syria. I just don't give a damn for someone whom is our sworn enemy.
hey day in heaven, we worship the same God they do, just in a different way. Their bible is the Koran and ours is the Torah or the King James Bible, but our God is the same Father of all.
I strongly disagree...Obviously you do not know the bible very well papadon...In 1 john 2:22 and 2:23 it states that whoever denies the son does not have the father either and he that acknowledges the son has the Father also. Muslims do not I repeat do not consider Jesus the Son of God....Got it ???
However, Jesus taught that the only people who are going to the promised land are the ones "who do what my Father in Heaven wants." Sorry, I'll take Jesus word for it above 1 John.
Looks like the US Gummint HAARP project is performing admirably. Nice little earthquake for an enemy state, just enough to show them we really mean bizness! Meanwhile they got a couple huge ones planned for West Coast of USA, just a "real" business investment for the BIG BOY reconstruction industry, you understand.
Look carefully at the pictures of the collapsed buildings and you will notice that there is absolutely no evidence of reinforcing rod or mesh in any of those buildings that collapsed. I still wonder what the mullahs, imams and clerics have to say about the cause of these earthquakes.
Speaking of Gawd:
Why doesn’t Jesus make an Appearance at Half Time of da Super Bowl? Wouldn’t that answer a lot of Questions and make a lot of Ministers, Priest’ etc. real Nervous.
Based on the "Vatican" Actions, it’s ok to be a “Pedophile” as long as you are Raping little boys. However being Gay is a Sin, Unacceptable and will not be Tolerated!
Why does da Pope surround himself with Armed Body Guards? Doesn’t he have Faith in Gawd?
Remember Folks….Da more you Donate Da more your Prayers are Answered.
Why do People become Really Religious when they get Really Old or go to Prison?
Why doesn't these Republican TeaBilly Conservative Religious Freaks demand to see a Birth Certificate for Gawd?
The Biggest Threat to all Religions…………………..Da Truth!
Everybody just relax.................this was not an Earthquake. Oprah was vacationing in Iran and simply fell out of da Bed.
You BetCha.....Fer Sure.
Yahweh will bring down the mountains on those who would destroy Jerusalem, and Israel.
Hmmm...What else can cause the earth to shake from a great disturbance underground? Please make sure this is an earthquake and NOT an underground nuclear weapon test.
Close but no cigar, it was Israel trying out their new covert ops invisible bomb from space. They have found a way to slow up Iran's development of a nuke weapon without them knowing they have been bombed. When did we launch that last satellite for them?
My question here is: WHERE is the IRANIAN government.......when it's PEOPLE need them the most? We cannot help IRAN.....because they are AT ODDS with the rest of the world. Or...is it JUST their government?
I think ALLAH sent them this CALAMITY.......to DISTRACT them from their WARLIKE stance, in BLOCKING the STRAIGHT of HORMUZ. Now...their GOVERNMENT would have their hands FULL if they THOUGHT of making trouble for the rest of the world.
Too bad. They'e going to have to "bite" the BULLET........this time.
OH! Guess what? I'll bet our Muslim president will actually send them aid so he can continue to hear the 'most beautiful sound on earth' from the women's stables.
You are right. It is a better sound than the whirring of the bill counting machines of Christian churches...