Huge Aid Effort To Iranians

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31776, 5 September 1968, Page 17

Huge Aid Effort To Iranians

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) TEHERAN, September 4. The Shah of Iran and Empress Farah today prepared to fly into earthquake-devastated eastern Iran as a fleet of aircraft parachuted aid to tens of thousands of homeless and hungry victims.

The Shah and the Empress will fly to the shattered town of Birjand to supervise personally relief work and inspect the devastation caused by two giant tremors last week-end that killed at least 12,000 people. Unofficial figures put the death toll at about 20,000.

As Governments and relief organisations around the world offered aid and condolences, the Shah yesterday ordered an all-out relief effort. He instructed the Iranian Air Force to drop food and medical supplies to the still largely-inaccessible towns and villages and told the Prime Minister (Amir Abnas HoveIda) and five other ministers in the area to concentrate on rebuilding work.

He also ordered an emergency airfield to be opened at Gonabad, to speed the arrival of relief.

At least 8000 people died at Gonabad and the nearby townships of Dasht-Bayaz and Ghayan.

There are still areas that rescue teams have been unable to reach, including at least 15 villages and townships. Their fate remains unknown.

Meanwhile, an earthquake yesterday struck Turkey, Iran’s western neighbour. Istanbul reports said 10 people had been killed and 150 injured in the black sea town of Bartin, which has a population of 15,000. Another four people died in nearby Asmara. The Canadian Red Cross Society has given 810,000 to assist relief work among

earthquake victims in Iran. The Red Cross headquarters in Toronto said in a statement yesterday that the money had been sent to the League of Red Cross Societies in Geneva for the purchase of relief supplies to be distributed by the Iranian Red Lion and Sun Society. A Red Cross spokesman said the cash grant would speed air shipments of tents and blan kets, priority items in the re lief effort

More than 3000 troops, with huge bulldozers and 500 trucks are now engaged on re lief work in eastern Iran.

A massive campaign has been launched against possible epidemics, famine and contamination of water sup plies. The Red Lion and SunIran’s Red Cross—said today that fully-equipped medical teams were vaccinating the population against typhoid and tetanus. No serious outbreak of disease had been reported, it said. The teams were also sterilising water resources and dis infecting ruins, the organisation said. In Teheran it was announced the Shah had ordered that new homes must not be constructed of mudbricks—which disintegrate easily and were responsible for most of the destruction.

In the town of Khezri, the Prime Minister, Amir Hoveida told a moaning crowd demanding food, medicine and shelter “tents are coming, food and medicine with doctors and blankets are on their way.” According to United Press International, the United States has taken some steps to aid victims of the earthquakes, although the Iranian Government has made no specific request The State Department in Washington said the United States Ambassador to Teheran

(Mr Armin Meyer), in view of the massive damage and large death toll, was making available $25,000 in medical and other emergency supplies In addition, C.A.R.E. has provided 10,000 cases of milk products and made available $lO,OOO for local purchases, j