The Latest: Iranian prez promises to rebuild quake-hit area
Posted November 14, 2017 6:00 am
SARPOL-E-ZAHAB, Iran (AP) - 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.
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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.
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Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran.
Survivors sit in front of buildings damaged by an earthquake, in Sarpol-e-Zahab, western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake that struck the Iraq-Iran border region killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast, authorities reported on Monday. (AP Photo/Omid Salehi)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, people look at destroyed buildings after an earthquake at the city of Sarpol-e-Zahab in western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday, killing more than one hundred people and injuring some 800 in the mountainous region of Iran alone, state media there said. (Pouria Pakizeh/ISNA via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Tasnim News Agency, relatives weep over the bodies of earthquake victims, in Sarpol-e-Zahab, in western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast. (Farzad Menati/Tasnim News Agency via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Tasnim News Agency, people carry their belongings in Sarpol-e-Zahab, western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast. (Farzad Menati/Tasnim News Agency via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, survivors of the earthquake warm themselves in front of destroyed buildings at the city of Sarpol-e-Zahab in western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday, killing more than one hundred people and injuring some 800 in the mountainous region of Iran alone, state media there said. (Pouria Pakizeh/ISNA via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, destroyed buildings and a car are seen after an earthquake at the city of Sarpol-e-Zahab in western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday, killing more than one hundred people and injuring some 800 in the mountainous region of Iran alone, state media there said. (Pouria Pakizeh/ISNA via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by the Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA, a rescue worker searches debris for survivors with his sniffing dog after an earthquake at the city of Sarpol-e-Zahab in western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday, killing more than two hundreds people, Iranian state media said. (Pouria Pakizeh/ISNA via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Tasnim News Agency, relatives weep over the body of an earthquake victim, in Sarpol-e-Zahab, western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast. (Farzad Menati/Tasnim News Agency via AP)
The Associated Press
In this photo provided by Tasnim News Agency, relatives weep over the bodies of earthquake victims, in Sarpol-e-Zahab, western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast. (Farzad Menati/Tasnim News Agency via AP)
The Associated Press
A woman mourns as she holds the body of her daughter, who died in an earthquake, in Sarpol-e-Zahab, western Iran, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far west as the Mediterranean coast. (Mosleh Pirkhezranian/Islamic Republic News Agency, via AP)
The Associated Press
A man checks the interior of a damaged house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
A man stands next to a destroyed house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
Houses are destroyed after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
People walk next to a destroyed house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
Boys walk on the roof of a destroyed house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
People sit on the rubble of a destroyed house after an earthquake in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. Authorities reported that a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Iraq-Iran border region on Monday and killed more than three hundred people in both countries, sent people fleeing their homes into the night and was felt far west as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
People walk next to a destroyed house after an earthquake, in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border has killed over 350 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
People walk next to a destroyed house after an earthquake at the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border has killed over 350 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
Girls walk past a damaged house after an earthquake, in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border has killed over 350 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
A man takes a picture on the rubble of a destroyed structure near Darbandikhan Lake after an earthquake, in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border has killed over 350 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
People sit on the roof of a destroyed house after an earthquake, in the city of Darbandikhan, northern Iraq, Monday, Nov. 13, 2017. A powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake near the Iraq-Iran border has killed over 350 people across both countries, sent residents fleeing their homes into the night and was felt as far away as the Mediterranean coast. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
The Associated Press
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