[OMG] Iranian earthquake 'kills 20,000'

[The Yankee]

There are fears now that 40,000 may have been killed as a result of the earthquakle, which probably includes people dying from injuries later, missing but presumed dead, so on. Wiped out half the town.....this really is sad.

 

[The Yankee]

Here is an update:

If you ever wanted to look for yourself.

Updated: 06:26 PM EST
Time Is Short for Thousands of Missing Iranians
Aid Pours in From U.S. and Other Nations; Death Toll Rises
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, AP

BAM, Iran (Dec. 28) -- Hopes of finding more earthquake survivors in Iran's ancient city of Bam faded Sunday as the sharp, foul smell of death permeated the pulverized rubble where mud-brick houses became instant tombs for more than 20,000 people.

Rescue workers from around the world joined Iranians in searching through powdery debris that left little room for air pockets, which could allow people to survive while awaiting help.

More than 20,000 bodies, including one American killed while visiting the city's 2,000-year-old citadel, have been retrieved since Friday's 6.6-magnitude earthquake shook the city and surrounding region in southeast Iran, a local government spokesman said.

Another 10,000 people were hospitalized, the spokesman Asadollah Iranmanesh said. Other officials have expressed fears that the death toll could rise as high as 40,000.

Only one man was pulled alive from the rubble Sunday, Iranmanesh said. A day earlier, officials reported freeing 150 survivors.

"We have not lost hope for survivors, and our priority remains to find them,'' Interior Minister Abdolvahed Mousavi Lari said.

Later, he told reporters that the search for survivors would probably end Monday night: "Tomorrow is the last hope.''

Experts say that 72 hours is generally the longest people can survive if they are trapped in rubble. Sunrise Monday is Bam's 72-hour mark.

Planes from dozens of countries landed in the provincial capital of Kerman with relief supplies, volunteers and dogs trained to find bodies and survivors. U.S. military C-130 cargo planes were among them, despite long-severed diplomatic relations and President Bush's characterization of Iran as being part of an "axis of evil'' with Iraq and North Korea.

Interior Minister Lari said Iran accepted U.S. government help and not Israeli help because Tehran considers the United States a legitimate government, but opposes Israel for its actions against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel "is a force of occupation,'' he said.

As for Americans, Lari said. "I believe it is possible that they have a humanitarian sensibility in such a dramatic situation.''

Traffic clogged the roads leading in and out of Bam, 630 miles southeast of Tehran, the Iranian capital.

Survivors with any kind of motor vehicle loaded furniture and whatever they could salvage and headed for other cities. Incoming traffic brought relief supplies, volunteers and relatives desperate for news of their kin.

Mostafa Biderani and his wife, Zahra Nazari, wept in front of a destroyed police station in the center of Bam, slapping their faces and beating their chests in an Islamic expression of grief.

"I pulled my son out of the rubble this morning,'' said Biderani, who drove from Isfahan, 470 miles to the northwest. "But all my hopes were dashed when I saw the police station had collapsed. I pulled out my son with my bare hands.''

The traditional sun-dried, mud-brick construction of the houses doomed many occupants, as it has for centuries in quake-prone Iran. Heavy roofs, often sealed with cement or plaster to keep out rain, sit atop mud-brick walls that have no support beams. When walls crumble, roofs smash down, leaving few air pockets and crushing or suffocating anyone inside. Friday's quake struck about 5:30 a.m. when most people were sleeping.

"In these conditions, we are not optimistic of finding anyone alive. Hopes are dwindling fast,'' said Barry Sessions of Britain's Rapid-UK rescue group, which did not find any survivors in 24 hours of searching.

"The earthquake reduced most of the buildings to something like talcum powder. Many of the casualties suffocated and there are few voids or gaps left in the buildings where we would normally find survivors.''

His thoughts were echoed by other relief workers.

Luca Spoletini, spokesman for the Italian Civil Protection, said its teams found nothing but corpses after a day spent probing the rubble.

Describing a visit to Barazat, a town with a population of 20,000 a few miles outside Bam, Spoletini said, "There is nothing any more. Not one single house, not one single building stands upright. It is like the Apocalypse. I have never seen anything like that.''

By Saturday night, enough tents had arrived to accommodate the thousands of homeless. There was even a bit of normalcy, with people complaining they had to share a tent with another family.

Looters were also out, grabbing food from warehouses and grocery shops. Police tried to control them by shooting in the air.

In addition to Italian and British teams, rescuers, supplies or pledges of aid arrived from Austria, Azerbaijan, Britain, Finland, Germany, Russia, Turkey and dozens of other nations.

The United States arranged an airlift of 150,000 pounds of food, water and medical supplies. Four military planes flew into the country from Kuwait.

"The reception was beyond expectations,'' said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jeff Bohn, who was on the first plane. "The warmth that the Iranian military and civil aviation workers gave us was truly incredible.''

An Iranian navy helicopter crashed 30 miles southwest of Bam on Sunday after delivering tents and blankets, the regional governor's office said. All three crewmen were killed, he said.

Bam was best known for its medieval citadel, considered the world's largest surviving mud fortress. Most of the fortress, including a massive square tower, crumbled like a sand castle when the quake hit.

It's cool that the Americans are sending assistence as well.

 

[EzInKy]

Originally posted by The Yankee
Here is an update:

If you ever wanted to look for yourself.

It's cool that the Americans are sending assistence as well.

America is famous for helping its enemies. The real question is why is Iran refusing help from Isreal?

 

[Simon Darkshade]

The politics of hatred and pride run deeper than the lives of tens of thousands of their own citizens. IIRC, the Israelis do have very good expertise in regards to recovery of people from collapsed buildings that was called upon in 1998 in the African embassy bombings.

 

[Sh3kel]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
[...] IIRC, the Israelis do have very good expertise in regards to recovery of people from collapsed buildings that was called upon in 1998 in the African embassy bombings.

After the first few Iranian-sponsored bombers bring down enough wreckage on the wounded, we're bound to learn.

We offered to help, they refused. It's their loss.

 

[Gogf]

They put politics ahead of their own citizens...

 

[Civrules]

I thought 5,000 was a lot when I heard it first. Now they are saying as many as 40,000? That is unbelievable.

 

[Yaniv]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
. IIRC, the Israelis do have very good expertise in regards to recovery of people from collapsed buildings that was called upon in 1998 in the African embassy bombings.

Aside from the example you gave, Israel is conidered good at recovering humans and any part of them from such disasters because Judisim puts a high mark on the importance of the human body. It's sad that Iran refused help because of it's racist government, or racist citizens would could cause raid if Israelies entered their country.

 

[The Yankee]

Originally posted by EzInKy


America is famous for helping its enemies. The real question is why is Iran refusing help from Isreal?

They do not view Israel as a legitimate government. However evil the US government may be, they do see it as legit. That and they don't necessarily view American people as evil, rather the government.

 

[Sh3kel]

Originally posted by The Yankee
They do not view Israel as a legitimate government. However evil the US government may be, they do see it as legit. That and they don't necessarily view American people as evil, rather the government.

and the government would be a direct representation of magical beans?

 

[The Chosen One]

That sucks, the only good note would be that the earthquake hopefully took out some morons who will blow themselves up in the future just so they can make their way to 72(?) virigins(whores).
But i hope they find more people alive who are worth saving

Moderator Action: This is unacceptable. Consider yourself warned. Eyrei.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Azadre]

Originally posted by The Chosen One
That sucks, the only good note would be that the earthquake hopefully took out some morons who will blow themselves up in the future just so they can make their way to 72(?) virigins(whores).
But i hope they find more people alive who are worth saving

That sucks, the only good note would be that the crushed world trade center took out some morons who will blow us up in the future just so they can make their way to 72 gallons (tons) of oil. But i hope they find more people alive who are worth saving.
I spit on you.

Moderator Action: This is also unacceptable. Consider yourself warned. Eyrei.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[Azadre]

BTW, it is estimated that 50,000 will be considered dead

 

[The Chosen One]

Sorry mista masta But i guess it does look like you all are finally doing ur jobs. Keep it up

 

[The Yankee]

Originally posted by Sh3kel
and the government would be a direct representation of magical beans?

Not for me to answer. I'm not the Iranian government.

There have been some "miracles" reported in finding survivors...but it's well past the 72 hours that experts say is the longest someone could possibly survive under a building. I remember no survivors were found after 3 days or so after the Twin Tower attacks....there's only so much air in those "bubbles."

 

[JonathanValjean]

It is with great sadness that I learned about those 20,000 who perished. It is easy for some to stereotype all of the Iranian citizens as being malevolent; however, the average citizen is very much like you and me, with hopes and dreams for a better tomorrow, and with goodwill for his/her fellow man. If any of you are into foreign film, I recommend "Children of Heaven" and "The Color of Paradise." Both show the humanity of the average Iranian quite well and are excellent films.

 

[The Yankee]

Actually, most Iranians are young and many view the US favorably. Politics aside, this is a tragedy that so many lives, hopes, dreams, memories, have been lost.

 

[h4ppy]

Originally posted by The Yankee
Not for me to answer. I'm not the Iranian government.

There have been some "miracles" reported in finding survivors...but it's well past the 72 hours that experts say is the longest someone could possibly survive under a building. I remember no survivors were found after 3 days or so after the Twin Tower attacks....there's only so much air in those "bubbles."

I'm no expert but I would imagine that there would be fewer bubbles in Iran than at the WTC because the Iranians used inferior materials, whether this is cancelled out by the height of the WTC is beyond me.

 

[The Yankee]

Yes, but, you get what I mean. I'm sure there were some kind of bubbles somewhere, maybe close to the top. It's bound to happen.

 

[onejayhawk]

To put this perspective, there were earthquakes in China several, many, years ago, where the dead were thought to number over 100,000, but which the government never admitted even occured, much less requested aid.

J