Earthquake in Iraq and Iran
"We naturally offer all the help we can," said federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert on Monday in Berlin, in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the Iranian province of Kermanshah. The German government conveys its deepest sympathy to the governments of Iran and Iraq, he said.
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More than 300 lives have been lost and thousands more injured in a severe earthquake
Photo: picture alliance/AP Photo/ISNA/Pouria Pakizeh
The German government is following reports on the earthquake which hit the northern border region between Iran and Iraq on Sunday, announced government spokesperson Steffen Seibert at the government press conference. Hundreds of people have lost their lives; the damage is widespread and the people face a desperate situation, he added.
A severe 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the border region between Iran and northern Iraq on Sunday evening. The death toll has already risen to over 320. According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, the epicentre was at a depth of around 34 kilometres in the Iranian province of Kermanshah.
Deepest sympathy and pledges of assistance
"The German government would like to convey their deepest sympathy to the governments of Iran and Iraq and of course through them to the people of both countries," said the government spokesperson.
He continued, "We naturally offer all the help we can, and work on the assumption that the two governments will announce what they need and where, so that the relief efforts of the individual countries and the assistance from the international community can be coordinated."