Tehran: At least 250 people have been confirmed dead and over 2,000 others injured in two powerful earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks that struck Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan, local media reported.
According to unconfirmed reports, four villages have been completely destroyed by the earthquake and about 60 others have been partially destroyed. Thousands of people were forced to remain outdoors as at least 20 aftershocks rocked the area.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf have also expressed their grief over the deaths in their messages to Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and offered aid the country.
On Saturday, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the city of Ahar, near the provincial capital Tabriz, at 15:53 local time (1123 GMT). The quake struck 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Tabriz at a depth of 9.9 kilometers (6.2 miles).
Another quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted Varzaqan and Haris, which are located near Ahar, 11 minutes later at a similar depth. The epicenter of the quake was 49 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.
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