|
Iran earthquake relief plane crashes
Snow hampers efforts to aid quake victims
March 4, 1997
Web posted at: 10:15 a.m. EST (1515 GMT)TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Four people died Monday night when a small plane flying a relief mission to Iran's quake-damaged Ardabil province crashed during bad weather in the mountainous region, a local government official said.
Meanwhile, that same bad weather was hurting efforts to aid survivors of Friday's 6.1 magnitude earthquake, which left nearly 1,000 people dead, more than 2,500 injured and tens of thousands homeless.
Iranian newspapers reported that President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani planned to visit the ravaged region on Tuesday.
There were additional tremors on Sunday and Monday, but no reports of further casualties. Rescue efforts have been severely hampered by knee-deep snow, ice, and sub-freezing temperatures.
"The snow is making the job difficult and slow," said a spokesman for the aid agency Red Crescent.
Search teams found the wreckage Tuesday of the small Falcon aircraft about 16 miles (25 km) northeast of the city of Ardabil, the official Islamic Republic News Agency said. There were no survivors.
A government official in Ardabil said the plane, which was carrying aid to Ardabil from Tehran, crashed because of bad weather.
Additional snow fell on the devastated region Monday night -- as much as a foot (30 centimeters), the news agency said.
Relief workers said they expected the official death toll -- at 965 Tuesday morning -- to rise as rescue operations continued. The area has been shaken by about 350 aftershocks -- including a 5.2 magnitude quake on Sunday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Iran quake toll rises to 965 - March 3, 1997
- Cold, ice hamper efforts to aid Iranian quake victims - March 2, 1997
- Death toll reportedly rises in Iran as quakes ravage region - March 1, 1997
- Iranian quake kills 500, injures 2,000 - March 1, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- National Earthquake Information Center : Current Earthquake Information
- Global Earthquake Response Center
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.