Iran: Varzaqan quake victims still homeless as $32 million fund vanishes

NCRI – Victims of the Varzaqan earthquake in Iran are still living in temporary shelters one year after the disaster amid claims a $32 million renovation budget has vanished.

The quake in the province of Eastern Azerbaijan, north-west Iran, in August 2012 caused widespread damage to 11 cities and 91 surrounding villages, destroying 800 homes and damaging 1,500 others.

The authorities promised at the time to relocate all residents to new homes before the cold season but no action was taken.

Then on April 26 this year, the governor of Eastern Azerbaijan made further unfulfilled promises that the stricken areas would be rebuilt.

Varzaqan’s MP Allahverdi Dehghan has now told the state-run INSA news agency on August 16: “What we don’t know today is where the 960 billion Rials (equivalent to $32m) of public assistance has been spent?”