10,000 Die in Quake : Thousands Buried Alive in Rubble in North Iran : U.N. Relief Asked; U.S. Offers Help

NICOSIA, Cyprus —  At least 10,000 people died today in a devastating earthquake that jolted northern Iran, demolishing scores of villages and towns and burying thousands of people in the rubble of their homes, an official announcement said.

A statement by the Iranian Cabinet, released after an emergency evening session, said the “sad, painful and horrible tragedy has so far claimed 10,000 lives and left thousands of others wounded.”

The announcement, carried by the Islamic Republic News Agency, placed all government organizations “on full alert” and ordered an air bridge set up between Tehran and the stricken areas to evacuate survivors.

Landslides obstructed the mission of rescuers on the ground and bad weather hindered airlift operations by helicopters, IRNA said.

It said that many people are still buried in the debris and that several hundred Revolutionary Guards were flown from Tehran after nightfall to join rescue teams.

The U.N. Disaster Relief Organization said from Geneva that the Tehran government has requested international assistance.

The White House sent a message of condolences to the Iranian leadership, and expressed willingness to offer “appropriate humanitarian assistance should it be requested.”

The Geophysics Center at Tehran University said the quake had a magnitude of 7.3, and the U.S. Geological Survey measured it at 7.7.

The Tehran center recorded 12 aftershocks after the early morning quake, IRNA reported.

The quake struck at 12:30 a.m., when most people were either sleeping or watching World Cup soccer on television. IRNA quoted the Geophysics Center as saying it was centered 125 miles northwest of Tehran, near the Caspian Sea.

The quake also rattled the bordering Soviet republic of Azerbaijan, slightly damaging some old buildings in its capital of Baku but causing no casualties, Tass news agency said.

The temblor killed at least 1,600 people and injured 3,600 in Iran’s Zanjan province, and killed 300 and injured more than 1,000 in Gilan province, IRNA said in early dispatches monitored in Cyprus.

It said the dead included at least 1,000 people killed in Ab-Dar, a large village in Zanjan province. At least 88 were killed in Qazvin just 80 miles northwest of Tehran.

IRNA reported “massive destruction.” It said that homes crumbled and that landslides loosed by the shock were blocking main roads, hampering rescue efforts.

Rescue workers struggled to pull victims from wrecked structures.

The mountainous, largely agricultural provinces have a combined population of 2.7 million, and the news agency said several villages near the 100,000-resident provincial capital of Zanjan were destroyed.

Tehran residents said the quake shattered windows and sent people fleeing into the streets. They reported no casualties or serious damage in the capital.

“It was like a rocking motion,” said a longtime resident of Tehran.