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CNN Live Today
Earthquake in Iran
Aired December 26, 2003 - 11:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iran, another place of devastation. They're pleading for international help today after a strong earthquake leveled the ancient city of Bam. Iranian officials say 20,000 people are feared dead in this very huge earthquake that struck while most people were sleeping. Adding to the crisis the town's two hospitals there were destroyed in this disaster. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.7. Other officials are saying 6.3.
Iranian journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr is joining us again, via phone, giving us the latest from Tehran.
And what is your latest information?
I know earlier, you were telling me that Iranian officials are putting the magnitude at 6.3. Is that still the case?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, IRANIAN JOURNALIST: It is. That 6.7 is not wrong. It's just a different way of measuring. It measures something else. But what is usually given to the public is this 6.3, which is a certain way of measuring the earthquake, which is more understandable to the public, otherwise what you're saying is not wrong; it's just a different way of measuring the same earthquake.
WHITFIELD: Give me a sense as to how urgent the need it for these international groups to make their way in? And of course, traversing the terrain is going to be difficult in order for these international aid groups to make their way in, correct?
BOZORGMEHR: Not so much, because they can arrive at the Kerman Airport, as far as I know, which is the provincial capital, and from there, an hour, hour and a half drive from there to the city of Bam, but the roads are congested because of the rescue operations, because over 30,000 people are injured, and there are no hospitals working in the city of Bam, so the injured must be evacuated to other provinces and other cities, and they are using several helicopters and C-130 military planes to transport the victims, but the roads are still congested, because of the number of cars that are trying to transport the victims to other provinces. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) preventing private cars from using the highway which links the Kerman state of the capital to -- of the province, to the city of Bam.
WHITFIELD: You did a great job earlier describing just why this devastation is so widespread. The structures there, obviously, not built to withstand earthquakes, even though this is a city that is in a place that has experienced earthquakes before. Describe a little bit more the structures there in this ancient city. BOZORGMEHR: The structure is very ancient, some date it back to something like maybe two and a half centuries before Christ, and some say it's about 2,500 years old. We don't know exactly, but it's very old. It's been renovated and rebuilt many times throughout its history. But even when it was renovated, there were no earthquakes or earthquake codes so to speak in those days. So there is no earthquake code being observed in the buildings in that city, and that is one of the reasons.
Another reason for such a heavy toll is the fact that it happened about 5:00 a.m. local time, where most people were sleeping in bed, and the buildings are mostly, as we said, built by traditional methods of building, which is using mortar and mud, and that's very prone to destruction when there's such a heavy earthquake.
WHITFIELD: Shirzad Bozorgmehr, thanks very much for that update, coming to us from Tehran.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 26, 2003 - 11:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now on to Iran, another place of devastation. They're pleading for international help today after a strong earthquake leveled the ancient city of Bam. Iranian officials say 20,000 people are feared dead in this very huge earthquake that struck while most people were sleeping. Adding to the crisis the town's two hospitals there were destroyed in this disaster. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at 6.7. Other officials are saying 6.3.
Iranian journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr is joining us again, via phone, giving us the latest from Tehran.
And what is your latest information?
I know earlier, you were telling me that Iranian officials are putting the magnitude at 6.3. Is that still the case?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, IRANIAN JOURNALIST: It is. That 6.7 is not wrong. It's just a different way of measuring. It measures something else. But what is usually given to the public is this 6.3, which is a certain way of measuring the earthquake, which is more understandable to the public, otherwise what you're saying is not wrong; it's just a different way of measuring the same earthquake.
WHITFIELD: Give me a sense as to how urgent the need it for these international groups to make their way in? And of course, traversing the terrain is going to be difficult in order for these international aid groups to make their way in, correct?
BOZORGMEHR: Not so much, because they can arrive at the Kerman Airport, as far as I know, which is the provincial capital, and from there, an hour, hour and a half drive from there to the city of Bam, but the roads are congested because of the rescue operations, because over 30,000 people are injured, and there are no hospitals working in the city of Bam, so the injured must be evacuated to other provinces and other cities, and they are using several helicopters and C-130 military planes to transport the victims, but the roads are still congested, because of the number of cars that are trying to transport the victims to other provinces. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) preventing private cars from using the highway which links the Kerman state of the capital to -- of the province, to the city of Bam.
WHITFIELD: You did a great job earlier describing just why this devastation is so widespread. The structures there, obviously, not built to withstand earthquakes, even though this is a city that is in a place that has experienced earthquakes before. Describe a little bit more the structures there in this ancient city. BOZORGMEHR: The structure is very ancient, some date it back to something like maybe two and a half centuries before Christ, and some say it's about 2,500 years old. We don't know exactly, but it's very old. It's been renovated and rebuilt many times throughout its history. But even when it was renovated, there were no earthquakes or earthquake codes so to speak in those days. So there is no earthquake code being observed in the buildings in that city, and that is one of the reasons.
Another reason for such a heavy toll is the fact that it happened about 5:00 a.m. local time, where most people were sleeping in bed, and the buildings are mostly, as we said, built by traditional methods of building, which is using mortar and mud, and that's very prone to destruction when there's such a heavy earthquake.
WHITFIELD: Shirzad Bozorgmehr, thanks very much for that update, coming to us from Tehran.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
