The Latest: Iran's president promises to rebuild after quake
The Latest on developments from an earthquake in the border region of Iran and Iraq (all times local):
10:45 a.m.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is promising to rebuild the country's earthquake-devastated area in the "shortest" timespan possible.
Rouhani, who was visiting the area Tuesday, said his administration plans to support reconstruction with both handouts and loans.
He says he appreciates foreign countries for expressing sympathy with victims of Sunday's temblor, which measured magnitude 7.3. The quake killed hundreds and injured thousands in the border region of Iran and Iraq.
Authorities say the quake destroyed more than 12,000 homes and local reports say many people are still in need of tents and blankets.
Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to near-daily quakes. In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam, killing 26,000 people. In 2012, a major casualty earthquake killed over 300.
———
9 a.m.
Rescuers are digging through the debris of buildings felled by an earthquake that killed more than 430 people in the border region of Iran and Iraq.
The work is taking place two days after a magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck Sunday night Iran time, just as people were going to bed.
The worst damage appeared to be in the Kurdish town of Sarpol-e-Zahab in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah, which sits in the Zagros Mountains that divide the two countries.
Residents fled without time to grab their possessions as apartment complexes collapsed into rubble. Outside walls of some buildings were sheared off, power and water lines were severed, and telephone service was disrupted.
Residents on Monday dug frantically through wrecked buildings for survivors.
———
Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran.
- Star
Add Interests Customize your news feed by choosing the topics that interest you.
To save your interests across all devices Log In or Sign Up »Source – abcnews.go.com
