International Rescue, the volunteers did not have enough technical equipment, and the religious leaders seemed unwilling to contribute much. Official rescue work ended on June 24, 2002, when rescue workers said there were no more survivors. Public reaction Of the roughly 80 villages that suffered heavy damage, the Iranian government claimed that relief work was mostly complete. Residents of Changureh, however, complained that tents, food, and medicine had not reached them, after waiting in near-freezing temperatures. A man from Avaj stated that only locals helped uncover the body of his child. In protest at Iran's slow response to the tragedy, some 300 people blocked the main road through Avaj. On June 23, "dozens" of Avaj residents threw stones at Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi-Lari's car in anger at the government's delay in providing relief. They also claimed that the death toll was higher than official reports said it was. Reconstruction Electricity was restored to affected areas by June 25. On November 9, 2002, the World Bank granted $225 million towards the reconstruction and economic rehabilitation of the area devastated by the quake. Reconstruction of housing and infrastructure by provincial authorities was interrupted for almost four months (November 2002 – February 2003) due to harsh weather conditions. In August 2003, the reconstruction was completed in all villages affected by the earthquake. See also List of earthquakes in 2002 List of earthquakes in Iran Notes [a] Several sources call the earthquake the 2002 Changureh or Avaj earthquake, as reports differ as to the quake's location. The official Islamic Republic News Agency report names Bou'in-Zahra the nearest town to the epicenter. [b] Bou'in-Zahra is a county, and a city of the same name. [c] The name of this city and county has sometimes been transliterated as Bouynzahra, Buin-Zahra, and Buyin Zahra. [d] This would cost roughly US$513,125,000 today. See Inflation Calculator. References External links Iran Bou'in-Zahra earthquake Earthquakes in Iran History of Qazvin Province June 2002 events in Asia