tecdec

The 7.3-magnitude quake that struck in the remote border area between Iran and Iraq late Sunday left thousands of people injured hundreds of villages destroyed. Iran's Olympic weightlifting champion Kianoush Rostami has put his gold medal up for auction to raise money for the victims of Sunday's earthquake which left at least 452 people dead in Iran and Iraq. The earthquake, the deadliest of the year, was felt as far away as Turkey and Pakistan. Rostami, who won gold at the Rio de Janeiro games in 2016, says the disaster has left him desperate to help those affected. "I consider it my duty to take a step, however small, to help my beloved fellow countrymen who have suffered as a result of the quake," Rostami said. "I am returning the gold medal, which is theirs by right, to my people. I will auction off the medal and use the proceeds to help the quake victims."

A powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Iran and Iraq on Sunday killing 210 people, state media in the two countries said, as rescuers searched for dozens trapped under rubble. A quake registering a magnitude between 7 and 7.9 can inflict widespread and heavy damage. Moreover, many houses in rural areas of Iran are made of mud bricks that can crumble easily in a quake. Officials expected the casualty toll to rise when search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran. The earthquake was felt in several provinces of Iran but the hardest hit province was Kermanshah, which announced three days of mourning. The main hospital of the capital of the county was severely damaged and could not treat hundreds of injured people who were taken there, the head of the Iranian emergency services, Pirhossein Koulivand said. Electricity was cut off in several Iranian and Iraqi cities, and fears of aftershocks sent thousands of people in both countries out onto the streets and par...