Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

Series of Earthquakes Hit Northwestern Iran

Aired June 22, 2002 - 07:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll in Iran is rising following this morning's powerful earthquake, the epicenter about 80 miles from Tehran to the northwest.

Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr joins us on the phone now from the Iranian capital. He has the latest.

SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST: Miles, a series of strong earthquakes and aftershocks hit northwestern Iran Saturday at about 2:58 GMT. The first one was measured 6, the magnitude of 6, followed by three more ranging between 4.1 and 5.2.

The latest figures say that 400 were killed, and at least 1,000 injured, and many of the villages on the outskirts of the Arboz (ph) mountain range were totally destroyed, and some were partially destroyed.

Twenty more aftershocks have been registered so far measuring less than 4 in magnitude, and they keep continuing. I talked to the director of Tehran University's Geophysics Institute who said that the magnitude will keep decreasing as it goes along. But he said that we should expect many more aftershocks with lesser magnitude, and eventually they will die out.

The number of the dead and injured are not accurate because of the remoteness of the area where the earthquakes hit, and it's going to take maybe 24 to 48 hours to get more accurate numbers.

Rescue operations are under way right now, airport -- air force and army both, the personnel are involved in it. They have brought some blankets and canned food and water and other necessary material for the shelter and food to the area. And volunteers are also being sent to help the rescue operation.

This same area was hit almost 40 years ago with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 10,000 people, and the head of the Geophysics Institute was saying that had the authorities taken some measures toward rebuilding the same area 40 years ago, to implement some anti-earthquake measures in the new buildings, the fatalities and the damage to property would have been much less -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr, joining us from Tehran. Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com