Iran Prepares over 3,000 Houses for Quake-Hit People in East Azarbaijan

The Iranian government managed to build and gave more than 3,000 new houses to the people living in the quake-stricken areas in Northwestern Iran, where two strong earthquakes killed over 300 people in the East Azarbaijan province in August.

The new houses were delivered to families in the quake-stricken areas of the East Azarbijan province on Thursday in the presence of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The President is on a day-long visit to the province to tour the quake-stricken areas in Varzaqan, Ahar and Heris districts which were hit by two devastating earthquakes on August 11.

In August, two quakes in Northwestern Iran also claimed the lives of 306 people and injured more than 4500 others.

An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted Ahar in East Azerbaijan province at 16:00 hours local time (1130GMT) on August 11. Almost an hour later another quake with magnitude 6 on the Richter scale jolted Varzaqan at 17:04 hours local time (1234GMT) in the same province.