'Many killed' in Iran earthquake

The BBC ^ | December 26, 2003

[RWR8189]

A powerful earthquake has rocked southern Iran, causing many casualties, state radio reported.

It said the tremor, measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, was centred near the city of Bam in Kerman province.

The city's historic quarter was destroyed and there were a "very many" dead, local governor Mohammad Ali Karimi was quoted as saying.

Telephone communication with several towns in the province has been cut off, and rescuers have rushed to the area.

The earthquake occurred at 0528 local time (0158 GMT), Iran's official news agency Irna quoted the Tehran University Geophysics Centre as saying.

"There is a lot of dead and injured in Bam city... there was a lot of damage," Mr Karimi told the state radio.

The Iranian Red Crescent chief, Mehdi Ebna, told Irna that "the number of deaths is not yet known", adding rescue teams were on their way to the affected area.

Bam is situated 180 kilometres (112 miles) from the provincial city of Kerman.

Seismologists say earthquakes are frequent in Iran.

Since 1991, tremors have claimed some 17,600 lives and injured 53,000 people, according to official figures.

[RayChuang88]

Iran is situated in one of the most active earthquake areas in the world, which explains the large numbers of earthquakes there. Indeed, a number of ancient city archeological sites in Iran show the results of earthquake damage and subsequent rebuilding there.

[farmfriend]

I read something here recently about how there are more earthquakes after the sun reaches it's maximum, when it it going back down if you can get around my great technical terms. More solar flares, more spots and more earthquakes etc. here on earth. Of course I have no clue which thread that was.

[optimistically_conservative]

Additional comments here.

[AdmSmith]

I hope that these buildings are not destroyed:

from http://www.bamjam.net/Iran/Bam.html

The citadel and city of Bam were supposed to be one of the major highlights of our visit to Iran. Molded over 2000 years ago out of the red clay of the Dasht-é Kavir desert that surrounds it, this stronghold still looks proud today to those who stand outside the walls.

For some unexplained reason, Bam was abandoned about 150 years ago. Almost unbelievable after all those years, the walls and the 28 towers are still intact, the small gate near the car park is the only entrance. Although the walls are intact, the city inside has had a lot to suffer from all those years.

When you consider the material that is used to construct Bam, it is even a wonder so much of the city still stands. The red desert clay, mixed with straw and "other organic materials", looks like it will come apart if anyone just looks at it. And perhaps it's a good thing it doesn't rain here very often.
	But no matter the poor condition of the city, it looks absolutely amazing. Over the walls we walk around the city, excited by curious little details over and over again. After 15 minutes two other groups arrive and start to walk between the buildings. We let them, we made enough pictures of the city without tourists, we start heading for the citadel.

The citadel is in better condition, a lot of restoration has been carried out in the last couple of years. In fact, they are still working on it. Inside the citadel there are lots of buildings: stables, a public bath, a prison, military barracks, two mosques, a caravanserai and more, all molded out of the same red clay. The highest point is the outlook tower. From here, you have a great view. Outside of the walls you see palm trees and the orchards of the new city of Bam, which is surprisingly green in the middle of the desert.

When it's getting crowded inside the citadel because the other two groups start to ooze in, we think it's about time to get out and have some chai in the teahouse.

When it's time to leave, we have one last look at the citadel. This was great, indeed a major highlight. Wow.

[AdmSmith]

It is a sad day:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-12/26/content_1249462.htm

TEHRAN, Dec. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Many people died early Friday when a strong earthquake hit southeast Iran and destroyed the historic quarter of the city of Bam, the governor of Kerman province told Iranian radio.

Governor Mohamed Ali Karimi said:" We have no exact knowledge of the scale of the damage and the deaths, but one things is sure:the historic quarter of Bam has been completely destroyed and manyof our countrymen are in the ruins."

The quake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the Kerman province Friday morning, inflicting casualties and proper damage, the state news agency IRNA reported.

The earthquake occurred around 5:28 a.m. local time (0158 GMT),and has cut off telephone links between the provincial capital Kerman and several towns, the IRNA said.

The Strasbourg Observatory in France said the quake measured 6.6 on the Richter Scale, and was the most powerful in the region since 1998, the observatory said.

Some 50,000 people were killed in a devastating earthquake, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale, in northwestern Iran in June 1990. Enditem

[AdmSmith]

The historic quarter of Bam has been completely destroyed.

[stlnative]

Deadly Earthquake Strikes Southeast Iran
Earthquake Strikes Historic Iranian City of Bam; Officials Say Many People Have Died

The Associated Press



TEHRAN, Iran Dec. 26 — A severe earthquake devastated the historic city of Bam in southeast Iran on Friday, and officials said many people were killed.
Hasan Khoshrou, a legislator for Kerman province where the quake occurred, said he had been told the devastation in the city of 80,000 people was "beyond imagination."

"No death toll is available, but it looks to be very, very high," Khoshrou said.

Iranian television said the magnitude 6.3 quake leveled about 60 percent of the houses in Bam, 630 miles southeast of the capital, killing many people as they slept. Authorities put out a call for blood donations.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, capable of causing severe damage, and hit at 5:27 a.m. local time.

"Many people have died," Kerman province Gov. Mohammad Ali Karimi told state media. "Many people are buried under the rubble."

Reports said the earthquake destroyed Bam's medieval fortress, a massive, 2,000-year-old structure that sits on a cliff near the city and attracts thousands of tourists each year. The fortress overlooks an ancient, abandoned city of mud huts.

State media reported damage in three villages around Bam and said telephone links with the city were severed. Authorities were in contact with the Bam area through radio and satellite phone links.

Authorities have sent numerous rescue workers with helicopters to the area, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"We are doing everything we can to rescue the injured and unearth the dead," television quoted Karimi as saying.

There were several aftershocks, one of magnitude 5.3, IRNA quoted the geophysics institute of Tehran University as saying.

Earthquakes in the last 25 years have caused thousands of deaths in Iran, which sits on several fault lines. A magnitude 7.7 temblor killed 25,000 in 1978, and a magnitude 6 quake in June, 2002 killed 500 people.

[stlnative]

it does not look good, see post 8

[DB]

That sucks.

To survive 2000 years to be destroyed this very day is too much.

[F14 Pilot]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!

It made me so sad!

[longjack]

Germany's "Spiegel" is reporting estimates of 10,000 dead, buried as they slept. 60% of all structures in Bam, including the citadel, are destryoyed.

Link, (written in German): "Spiegel-Online"....Erdbeben tötet bis zu 10.000 Menschen

longjack

[Steve Van Doorn]

Oh no.. hoping for better news.

[F14 Pilot]

I suspect that the Mullahs are doing under-ground Nuke tests... Can it be true?
We have been reading/watching many Earthquakes since a while ago, I mean in the year 2003.
What did our Satellite show?
I am not sure if these recent earthquakes were natural.

[AdmSmith]

No,if seismic waves are generated very deep within the Earth they can only be caused by an earthquake. Also explosions do not generate very strong seismic surface waves, therefore strong surface waves (the ones that cause the most damage to buildings) must come from an earthquake.

[monocle]

BTTT

[F14 Pilot]

Is the Bam Citadel safe? Is it destroyed?

[AdmSmith]

I do not know, probably.

[AdmSmith]

I am sorry
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-iran-earthquake,0,7851078.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Reports said the earthquake destroyed Bam's medieval fortress, a massive, 2,000-year-old structure that sits on a cliff near the city and attracts thousands of tourists each year. The fortress includes scores of ancient mud huts.

[observer5]

Allah's work