Red Crescent responds to earthquake in Iran and Iraq

The earthquake struck villages and towns in the mountainous area of Kermanshah province on Sunday night at 9:18pm, while many were at home asleep.

Red Crescent volunteers conducted search and rescues and provided first aid to the victims.

“The Iranian Red Crescent Society has deployed response teams which include equipment for shelter, first aid, and search and rescue in the aftermath of the earthquake to the affected cities” said Ms. Mansoureh Bagheri, Iran Red Crescent Society’s Director for international Operations.

In Iran 530 people were killed and around 8,000 were injured. In Iraq around nine people were killed and 535 were injured.

Approximately 70,000 people were affected by the earthquake, many of whom require shelter urgently.

Response efforts have now shifted to providing support for evacuated residents including the distribution of relief items and psychosocial support.

We are currently working around the clock in the areas devastated by the quake, says Mohamad Khosaii from the Iraqi Red Crescent.

The quake caused Dubai’s skyscrapers to sway and tremors could be felt as far as Israel and the Mediterranean coast.

There have been close to 200 aftershocks since the initial quake.