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Many Children In Iran's Quake-Stricken Region Exposed To Cold


A general view of debris of damaged buildings in Varnakesh, a village near the city of Mianeh, southeast of the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, November 8, 2019
A general view of debris of damaged buildings in Varnakesh, a village near the city of Mianeh, southeast of the city of Tabriz, in East Azerbaijan Province, November 8, 2019

Many children in the quake-hit city of Sarab, northwest Iran, are suffering from cold and frostbite, the town's representative to Majles (parliament), Youssef Davoudi, has disclosed.

"The bodies of these children are totally frostbitten," Davoudi told Eastern Azarbaijan province's session of crisis management on Saturday, November 9.

"Regarding the [cold] climate of the quake-stricken city of Sarab, the residents of the town are seriously sick, and at least seven to eight teams of general practitioners are needed to look after them," the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA) cited the MP as saying.

Meanwhile, referring to the fact that the weather was significantly cold in Sarab, Davoudi criticized the lack of electric or other safe heaters for the ad-hoc tents where the quake-stricken people are temporarily accommodated and divulged that two had died of poisonous carbon monoxide gas produced by burning coal or wood.

Safe heating and hot food are urgently needed in and around Sarab, Davoudi said, adding that the skyrocketing rate illnesses was alarming.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, ISNA quoted the head of the Medical College of the University of Tabriz's pre-hospitalization emergency, Farzad Rahmani, as saying that a fifteen-day-old baby whose parents died yesterday of carbon monoxide gas, was rescued.

A car lays smashed by debris from an earthquake in Varankesh village in Eastern Azerbaijan province, some 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of the capital Tehran, November 8, 2019
A car lays smashed by debris from an earthquake in Varankesh village in Eastern Azerbaijan province, some 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of the capital Tehran, November 8, 2019

"The 'invisible murderer failed to kill the baby, and he is in good physical condition, now," Rahmani said, regretfully adding that 23 quake-stricken people of Sarab were so far poisoned by the gas for disregarding safety requirements.

The 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit the city of Tark at 2:17 AM on November 8 in Eastern Azarbaijan province has so far left at least five dead and 720 injured.

In the meantime, Majles Speaker, Ali Larijani, ordered the parliament's Civil Commission to dispatch a delegation of lawmakers to the quake-hit villages in the to weigh the rescue operation in the areas.

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being on top several major fault lines that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.

On November 12, 2017, a major 7.3-magnitude quake hit the western province of Kermanshah and killed 620 people.

The deadliest quake in Iran's modern history happened in June 1990. It destroyed the northern cities of Rudbar, Manjil, and Lushan, along with hundreds of villages, killing an estimated 37,000 people.

The ancient city of Bam in the country's southeastern province of Kerman also witnessed a strong quake in December 2003, which left 31,000 dead.

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