By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

"Those who, when an affliction visits them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah and to Him do we indeed return” (Holy Qur’an, 2:156)
A major 7.3 Richter magnitude earthquake has hit the joint border region of Iran and Iraq, causing extensive damage, especially on the Iranian areas, resulting in the death of about 450 people.
The epicenter of the quake, which occurred at around 09:18 pm local time on Sunday (0010 GMT on Monday), was 32 kilometers south of the Iraqi city of Halabja, in Iraqi Kurdistan, and just across the border from Iran.
The highest casualties, however, occurred in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab, in Kermanshah Province. According to official tallies, over 7,000 men, women and children are suffering various degrees of injuries, and many of them admitted to hospitals in the region or airlifted to the capital for better treatment.
Over 280 aftershocks were recorded till Wednesday evening ranging from 2 to 5 Richter in magnitude.
It is indeed a time of grief for Iranians, while the annual mourning period for the Chief of Martyrs is coming to its end. There are lessons to be learned for all of us, including the bereaved families and the survivors of the devastating quake from the exemplary life of Imam Husain (AS).
Monday, November 13 was declared as Day of Grief in the Islamic Republic of Iran for expressing sympathy with the victims and the bereaved families.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, soon after the quake, in his message called on all officials and institutions to "rush to the aid of those affected.”
He instructed that all capabilities of the country should be mobilised urgently to provide relief and prevent further disasters so as to avoid further rise in the death toll. The Leader also called on the Armed Forces to help remove the rubble and transfer the injured to medical centers.
President Hojjat al-Islam Dr. Hassan Rouhani rushed to the spot on Tuesday to personally inspect the damage and give necessary orders to accelerate and improve quality of the rescue and relief operations.
The quake is indeed a divine test for the people of Iran. It is the time for the nation to close ranks and spare no efforts to provide relief to the victims.
At the same time, it is vital for the relevant authorities to determine the degree of damage and take necessary steps for prevention of such disasters in other parts of the country since Iran straddles the geological fault lines.
We ought to learn from quake-prone countries, such as Japan, which had developed amazing quake-resistance technology to build houses and buildings.
Although the efforts of people around the country in providing blankets, heaters, food, water and other facilities, are appreciated, including the auction announced by athletes of their Olympic gold medals such as famous weightlifter Kianoush Rostami and sharpshooter Sarah Javanmardi, the government should devise concrete plans in this regard.
Human beings cannot avert natural disasters, whose occurrence is part of Divine Wisdom, but prayers and proper ethical behaviours do play a decisive role in this regard, since God is All-Merciful, as was evident by the rescuing of a 3-year old child from under the rubble, alive after three days.
All said and done, we express our sincere feelings for our compatriots in their hour of grief.