PROLOGUE
T
HE GROUND WAS still shaking when the scientists at the
University of Tehran realized that the earthquake would end in tragedy. The seismographs at the Institute of Geo‑ physics had pinpointed the epicenter near the Dehshir Fault, under the small city of Sirjan in southeastern Iran. When it was over, the quake measured 8.4 on the Richter scale. Strong aftershocks buffeted the region for days, hampering rescue efforts and wreaking further destruction. Initial estimates indicated more than twelve thousand dead. The injured were too numerous to count. Homes that weren’t completely destroyed had been rendered structurally unsound. Collapsing build‑ ings claimed additional victims as residents tried to rescue family members or salvage possessions. Those who hadn’t been killed or hurt had lost friends and relatives, homes and livelihoods. Thousands 1
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10/12/17
– Warning Light by David Ricciardi –
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