Iran’s top officials condole over quake

The heads of Iran’s executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government have offered condolences to the families of the victims of the recent earthquake that took place near the southern Iranian city of Bushehr.

According to Press TV, a strong earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck the town of Kaki, some 90 kilometers southeast of Bushehr, at 4:22 p.m. local time on Tuesday at a depth of 12 kilometers. At least 37 people were killed and more than 950 others were injured.
The quake was followed by many aftershocks, which also jolted the nearby city of Khour-Mowj.
In a statement of condolence issued on Wednesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for rescue and relief units to make every effort to help the quake-stricken people of the area.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani also expressed sympathy over the incident in separate messages.
Earlier, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei offered condolences and called on provincial officials to “do their utmost” to save as many lives as possible and to provide enough support to the survivors of the quake.
Iran, which sits on several fault lines, is prone to frequent earthquakes.
On August 11, 2012, twin earthquakes measuring 6.4 and 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the cities of Ahar and Varzaqan in the East Azerbaijan Province respectively.
The two quakes left more than 250 people dead, injured nearly 1,400 others and inflicted heavy damages.