Loans for Earthquake Victims

The government will provide financial assistance to the tune of 220 million rials ($5,800) to every household affected by the recent earthquake in cities and villages in Khorasan Razavi Province, said Mashhad Governor Mohammad-Rahim Norouzian. “The aid will include a 150-million rial ($3,950) loan at 5% and a 50-million rial ($1,315) interest-free loan for repairing of houses, plus a 20-million rial ($530) loan to buy household items,” he told IRNA on Saturday. A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck the central and eastern parts of Khorasan Razavi Province on Wednesday, leaving two dead and 34 wounded, while 476 buildings were damaged. The Iranian Seismological Center reported on Friday that more than 200 aftershocks raging between 1 and 5 magnitudes on the Richter scale rattled the region after the main tremor. Khorasan Razavi sits astride several major faults (21 active faults) and is a highly earthquake prone region. During the past ten years 127 earthquakes stronger than 3.5 magnitude jolted the province that his home to Iran’s holiest shrine city.