Rescue work continues in quake hit Iran

ABC Radio Australia News ^

[yonif]

Rescue work is continuing in south eastern Iran, more than a day after a massive earthquake devastated the historic fort city of Bam, killing some 20-thousand people and injuring more than 30-thousand.

Britain, Germany, Russia and Switzerland have been the first to send foreign rescuers to Iran, which has accepted aid from all countries except Israel.

With water, electricity and gas supplies severed, President Khatami has admitted Iran cannot manange the rescue and rehabilitation work alone.

A Red Crescent spokesman in Tehran, Mostafa Mohaghegh says there is still hope of finding more survivors and aid is needed to help the injured and homeless.

The major requiremental needs are tents, blankets, warm clothing, canned food and stuff, I would say heaters, power generators, water purification machines, again water tanker, medical supplies including field hospitals are very much needed.

[yonif]

Elite IDF rescue units were welcomed by Turkey in response to an earthquake in 1999.

[eastforker]

Can you imagine,a country seeking nuclear power yet,admit they can not handle their own emergency needs.Any country that can not meet the needs of its people does not IMHO need nuclear anything.We have never heard Russia,US,UK,China,Pakistan,Israel or even France ask for outside help from a disaster yet Iran does.We must never let them obtain nuclear status.

[jolie560]

Yep--I agree-There was just a guy on FOX stating that International aid is needed for Iran. If Iran can afford nuclear plants, they should be able to afford helping their own people. But that is not the way of Islam--it is God's will. Jihad comes first.

[jennyp]

There's something I don't understand about this earthquake: The city of Bam is supposed to be an ancient city, where the buildings are all constructed of some kind of earth, stone, adobe, or somesuch. But surely this isn't the first 6.5 earthquake that ever hit the area? How did all those ancient buildings stay up for so long?

[DonQ]

..... Iran ... has accepted aid from all countries except Israel.

Just how many tens of thousands of people have to be buried alive before they'd be less finicky about who gets to help??

[vladog]

Straw that broke the camels back?

[mvpel]

They fervently want to bury tens of thousands of Israeli Jews alive, so they can't in good conscience accept help from Israel.

[Doctor Stochastic]

About 20 years ago, Bam was a small (but pretty) village. Now it seems to have become a city of about 200,000. I wouldn't be surprised at lots of shoddy workmanship under the Islamic Republic. Similar problems were found in Mexico after the big earthquake there. (No rebar even though the specs called for rebar and the papers said that there was rebar.) Bam did have good transportation to it so it should be possible to get some help in.