Turkish Rescue Team In Quake-hit Areas

Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, August 14, IRNA -- Turkish rescue teams are operating in quake hit areas, Governor of Khoy Gholamhossein Ammari said on Monday. Following the Turkish Foreign Ministry's offer to help the quake victims in East Azarbaijan province, a rescue team from Turkey Red Crescent Society composed of 36 aid workers arrived in Razi early Monday at 1:00 carrying relief aid supplies with themselves, Ammari told IRNA. The relief team was welcomed by Qotur District officials they departed khoy to East Azerbaijan's quake stricken areas. After the strong earthquake in Turkish Eastern province of Van in 2011, Iranian rescue teams were the first, rapid and biggest rescue groups who arrived in the quake -stricken areas perform rescue operations. The actions had been appreciated by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the Interior Ministers and Van governor-general. Two strong earthquakes measuring 6.2 and 6 Richters leveled villages and damaged homes in northwestern Iran on Saturday, killing at least 300 people and injuring over 2,000 others. The 6.2 richter quake hit the town of Ahar but the quake measuring 6 on the Richter scale has jolted Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan province. Iran's Seismological Center said the quake struck at 17:04 p.m. local time on Saturday. The two strong quakes were followed by 55 aftershocks, the strongest of which was measured 4.8 Richter on Monday./end