Thousands Killed in Iranian Temblor

Thousands of people were killed and tens of thousands injured Friday in the predawn earthquake that leveled much of the historic Iranian city of Bam.

At least 5,000 people were believed to have been killed, but officials estimated that as many as 20,000 may be dead and buried in the rubble. The number of injured was put at 50,000, most of whom were without shelter during a night of temperatures in the 20s.

The quake flattened more than half and perhaps up to three-quarters of the buildings in Bam, known for its dates, henna, succulent oranges and a giant medieval fortress complete with towers and domes made of mud brick.

About 600 miles southeast Tehran, Bam, with a population of 80,000, is the heart of a region with about a quarter of a million people.

Even for Iran, where deadly earthquakes are not uncommon, the devastation was large. “The disaster is far too huge for us to meet all of our needs,” President Mohammad Khatami said. “However, all the institutions have been mobilized.”

Speaking on television, Khatami called for international assistance, and the world responded. Russia, Europe and the United Nations immediately pledged food, blankets and volunteers to the recovery effort.

The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution. President Bush has called Iran part of an “axis of evil” and has accused it of attempting to secretly develop nuclear weapons.

Despite those tensions, Bush issued a sympathetic statement from his ranch near Crawford, Texas.

“Laura and I heard this morning of the earthquake centered in the city of Bam, Iran,” the statement said. “We are greatly saddened by the loss of life, injuries and widespread damage to this ancient city. I extend my condolences to all those touched by this tragedy. The thoughts of all Americans are with the victims and their families at this time, and we stand ready to help the people of Iran.”

IRNA, the state news agency, put the quake’s magnitude at 6.3; the U.S. Geological Survey said it was 6.5. The earthquake ripped through Bam around 5.30 a.m., when most of the city’s residents were sleeping. Marked by flimsy construction and clusters of mud brick homes, the city was particularly vulnerable.

The city’s citadel, one of the largest mud-brick buildings in the world, was heavily damaged. With its intricately wrinkled walls and remains of mosques and shops, the 2,500-year-old ruins are one of Iran’s biggest tourist draws.

“The site of Bam is considered one of the very, very important sites of mud-brick architecture,” said Mounir Bouchenaki, a United Nations heritage specialist. The U.N. cultural agency asked Iran to send a team of experts to the fortress.

“The entire town will need to be rebuilt,” Bam governor Ali Shafii told state television. “You look everywhere, you will see piles of rubble and ... many of the bodies are still under the rubble. People are suffering from cold, and there is an immediate need for tents, medicines, food.”

Khatami called the earthquake “a national tragedy.”

As a long afternoon turned to night, rescue crews fought the cold and bitter desert winds to hunt for thousands of people still missing. Telephone service, electricity and water lines were destroyed. Aftershocks rattled the land, and television showed images of homeless survivors building bonfires in the streets to ward off the cold. At the city’s only cemetery, bulldozers dug a mass grave.

“This is the apocalypse. There is nothing but devastation and debris,” Mohammed Karimi told an Associated Press photographer. Tears streamed down his face; he had brought the bodies of his wife and 4-year-old daughter to be buried.

Pictures on Iranian television showed men rooting in the debris with bare hands, guided only by firelight. Finally, they pulled from the rubble a young man who stared around with haunted eyes while they draped a blanket over his shoulders. Tearful children dug for their parents.

Two of Bam’s hospitals reportedly collapsed, killing most of the staff. The rest of the hospitals overflowed with patients huddled in blankets.

The roads out of town were choked with ambulances carrying the wounded to the nearby city of Kerman. Others among the injured were taken by military planes.

Officials took to the airwaves to plead for blood, disinfectant, blankets, bulldozers and dogs to help sniff out people still trapped in the debris. “There are a lot of dead and injured in Bam city, and everything is being done to take them out,” said Mohammed Ali Karimi, governor of Kerman province.

Dozens of corpses covered in white dust lay alongside the pulverized remains of houses. In the streets, women swathed in black chadors pummeled their chests in grief, and men beat their heads. Some tottered through the ruins in a daze.

“I have lost all my family,” said Maryam, a 17-year-old girl. “My parents, my grandmother and two sisters are under the rubble.”

Three days of national mourning were declared across the Muslim nation.

In Tehran, thousands rushed to give blood. Donation drives for food and clothing were quickly organized.

Hundreds of rescue workers poured into Bam and search dogs were brought from across the country to join the hunt for survivors. “That will not be enough,” said an Iranian Red Crescent official, Musatafa Mogaghegh. “We need help from the international community.”

Russian planes loaded with 100 search experts, 10 doctors and search dogs were to take off for Iran early today. Italy sent a military transport plane with a sniffer dog unit, fire brigades and search teams. France sent a field hospital. Turkey sent search-and-rescue workers, tents, blankets and medicine. Jordan was loading a plane with tents, medicine and food. The Czech Republic offered aid, as did Germany, Spain and Belgium.

Rescue teams from the United Nations, the International Red Cross and Britain also were on their way to Bam late Friday. The city’s small airport was opened to receive the international flights.

Several major fault lines cross Iran, making disastrous earthquakes relatively common. In June 2002, a magnitude 6.3 quake struck northern Iran. More than 200 people died, and 1,300 were injured. One of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history, a magnitude 7.7 temblor, hit northwest Iran in 1990, killing more than 40,000 people.

“We can restore the citadel,” said Shahriar Ghadimi, an Iranian architect. “It’s the loss of human lives that we cannot restore.”

Special correspondent Anvari reported from Tehran and special correspondent Zaman from Istanbul, Turkey. Times staff writer Edwin Chen in Crawford and special correspondent Lily Sadeghi in Tehran also contributed to this report.