Ahmadinejad to visit quake-hit areas in East Azarbaijan province

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to visit the quake-hit areas country's northwestern province of East Azarbaijan, Minister of Road and Urban Development Ali Nikzad said on Tuesday.

President will inaugurate some 12,000 housing projects during the visit, the IRIB News Agency quoted Nikzad as saying.

The earthquake, which hit northwest of Iran on August 11, has imposed some 11 trillion rials (about $900 million) loss on industry, agriculture, and service sectors, IRNA quoted Governor General of East Azarbaijan Province, Ahmad Alirezabeigi, as saying.

The agriculture sector has suffered 1.76 trillion rials (some $144 million) loss, he noted.

On August 11, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked the city of Ahar in East Azarbaijan Province.

According to latest reports, 306 people were dead and over 3,000 injured.


/Trend/