Two large quakes with magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.3 struck East Azerbaijan
province on Saturday afternoon, flattening villages and injuring
thousands around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the
provincial capital of Tabriz. On Monday, August 13, the Guardian
published an article titled "Iran earthquakes: Tehran criticised for response
to disaster."
“Iran's government has faced criticism from politicians and the public
over its handling of relief efforts after two large earthquakes killed
300 people and injured thousands in the north-west of the country.
Members of parliament representing the affected areas complained about
the shortage of tents for survivors… Although officials announced on
Sunday, less than 24 hours after the disaster, that search and rescue
operations had finished and all survivors had been freed from the
rubble, some residents expressed disbelief that authorities could have
reached some of the most remote villages so soon”, writes the
Guardian.
The author of the article presents a particularly sharp critique
of the leader of the country, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who left for
his planned visit to Saudi Arabia despite the disaster in his country.
"In every other part of the world, the tradition is that when natural
disasters happen, leaders will change their plans and visit the
affected areas in order to show their compassion … and observe rescue
efforts," the Guardian quotes Asr-e Iran.
“The lack of coverage, some said, contributed to a sense that the
central government in Tehran did not care much about the people of
northwest Iran, most of whom are Azeri Turks, the biggest ethnic
minority in the country,” the Guardian concludes.
