We Lost Opportunity to Properly Help Victims of Bam Quake: Official

Fatemi told the Mehr News Agency that rescue and relief operations were not carried out quickly enough after the recent earthquake in Bam, even though many people volunteered to help and earthquakes are common in Iran.

He said that this inefficiency led to higher levels of casualties and damage than should have been expected.

Fatemi went on to say that the quake should not have caused so many casualties in a small city like Bam.

“Unfortunately, we suffered irreparable damage because of the lack of preparedness to attend to the injured and a shortage of facilities and equipment. Thus, the disaster became the top story of international news reports,” he added.

He said that earthquakes cannot be predicted, but added that since Iran lies on many active fault lines, such events are likely to occur in Iranian cities from time to time.

Fatemi stated that a massive earthquake in Tehran or one of Iran’s other     major cities would be much more devastating than the Bam earthquake.

He said that first of all, buildings that are not earthquake-resistant should be identified and attempts should be made to reform construction methods and build earthquake-resistant buildings.

Fatemi added that the Iranian Natural Disaster Committee has made infrastructure inspections in order to determine the danger zones.

He stressed that immediate and basic measures should be carried out as soon as possible.

An earthquake could occur at any time, so there is no time to waste, the official said.

Fatemi added that educating people about earthquakes is essential.

He also stated that the issue should be prioritized.

The media should educate people about earthquakes so that in the future we will not see so many people killed or injured by a quake measuring 6 on the Richter scale, Fatemi said in conclusion.

HL/HG

End

MNA