Iran’s Crisis Management Organization: Pray for no earthquakes in Tehran
Esmail Najjar, the chairman of Iran’s Crisis Management Organization says with all the earthquake preparation and equipment in Tehran, we are only 20 percent ready for severe earthquakes, and "we must pray that no earthquake occurs."
He emphasized that an earthquake with the magnitude of over 7 on the Richter scale in Tehran would not only be a national disaster but an international disaster as well.
Najjar added that with such an earthquake in Tehran, two million people will be affected directly.
In the past, government officials and experts have repeatedly warned about the possibility of a severe earthquake in Tehran and the possibility of the loss of hundreds of thousands to a few million lives.
The recent earthquake on Friday in Tehran with 5.1 magnitude on the Richter scale has had 30 aftershocks so far and has once again brought up the possibility of a disaster in Tehran in case of a severe earthquake.
Najjar also stated that many tall buildings have been built on top of two fault lines in northern Tehran without any attention to their condition or following safety measures, and if these fault lines become active, there will be a complicated crisis.
Several of Tehran’s skyscrapers have been built on fault lines, including the Milad tower.