YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia has offered to assist neighboring Iran after a powerful earthquake struck the Islamic Republic’s northwestern region on November 8.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 in Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province killed at least five people, Iranian state media have reported. According to early reports, at least 120 other people have been injured in the quake.
Authorities reported that heavy rains in the area are hampering rescue efforts, and details remain unclear. More than 40 aftershocks hit the area.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Minister Felix Tsolakyan has had a telephone conversation with Iranian Deputy Chief of Mission in Yerevan Ali Mohammad Mottaghi, offering to send rescuers to Iran and render “other necessary assistance.”
The Armenian official also reportedly asked the Iranian diplomat to convey his “condolences and words of support to the people of Iran, the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured.”
The statement does not say whether the Iranian side accepted Armenia’s offer of assistance.
