The Qayen earthquake struck Northern Iran's Khorasan Province on May 10, 1997. Centered on the village of Ardekul, around 270 kilometers (170 mi) south of Mashhad, it was the largest in the area since 1990, measuring 7.3 on the moment magnitude scale. Described as the deadliest quake of 1997 by the US Geological Survey, it ravaged the Birjand–Qayen region, killing 1,567 people and injuring more than 2,300. It damaged or destroyed over 15,000 homes, leaving 50,000 homeless, with a total estimated damage of $100 million. People trapped under the debris were assisted by rescue teams. Around 155 aftershocks caused further destruction, and drove away survivors. The earthquake was caused by a rupture along a fault that runs underneath the Iran–Afghanistan border. Partly because of a deterioration in the quality of buildings in rural areas, earthquake-related incidents have killed around 1 in 3,000 Iranians since the start of the 20th century. The devastation near the earthquake's epicenter was attributed to these poor construction practices, and led to a movement for changes in building codes. (Full article...)
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