国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Powerful earthquake kills 445 Iranians, more casualties feared_时事

国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Powerful earthquake kills 445 Iranians, more casualties feared

At least 43 ambulances, four ambulance buses, and 130 emergency technicians have been stationed in the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran for a quick transfer of the victims to hospitals.

Over 100 medics have also been dispatched to the affected areas. The Iranian Air Force, too, has deployed helicopters to accelerate the transfer of the wounded.

Iranians have been flocking to the branches of the Blood Transfusion Organization to donate blood.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has urged all Iranian officials and institutions to "rush to the aid of those affected in these early hours" after the incident.

Khamenei said the country's entire range of capabilities had to be used swiftly to prevent a further rise in the death toll, according to Press TV.

He called on Iran's Armed Forces to help with removing the rubble and transferring the injured to medical centers.

Besides, Iranian president emphasized the need for maximum effort from officials, in a phone call with the interior ministry.

On Monday, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli left for quake-hit province of Kermanshah in western Iran, accompanied by Minister of Health Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi, Head of Iran's Red Crescent Society Ali Asqar Peivandi and a delegation from Presidential Office, official IRNA news agency said.

The delegation has been assigned to evaluate the process of emergency aid to quake-stricken people and present a report about the implemented measures on the scene.