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CNN Live At Daybreak
Death Toll From Earthquake in Iran Grows
Aired December 30, 2003 - 05:31 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It seems like every hour, every day, the death toll from that terrible earthquake in Iran grows. This morning, the number stands at 28,000. But there is now talk it could go way higher.
To the city devastated by the quake, Bam, in southeastern Iran.
Ryan Chilcote live via video phone -- good morning, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, it is an astonishing figure, indeed, 25,000. That is the number, according to an Iranian official here on the ground, of bodies that they have recovered from underneath the rubble since this earthquake on Friday hit about 100 hours ago.
Now, aid teams working here say that they have no verifiable reports of anyone being rescued from underneath rubble since this international relief effort began. And, in fact, a lot of aid workers are saying that, of course, as time goes on, it is less and less likely that they will be able to find anyone underneath the rubble alive.
Perhaps because of that, some of the aid teams have begun to pull out from five countries today, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, a team from the United States has arrived, perhaps a watershed moment in U.S.-Iranian relations. This is the first official delegation or official representatives to come to this country in more than two decades, since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. It is a group of people, some 60, at least 60 officials, both search and rescue officials and a humanitarian assessment team. Their job, to determine the needs of the people of Bam, and those needs are great.
The U.N. coordinating -- the U.N. official in charge of coordinating the operations said that this operation is now shifting from a search and rescue mission to one of rescue -- of addressing these humanitarian needs on the ground. And first and foremost, the biggest concern is the possible threat of the spread of disease. Officials have already warned people in Bam to wear a mask. They're concerned about the dust from all the rubble in this city and they're also concerned about the threat of the spread of that disease. So many people here already wearing masks to protect themselves.
That and, of course, the issue of housing. This city was almost entirely leveled in that quake on Friday and there are now tens of thousands of people without anywhere to sleep -- Carol. COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote reporting live from Bam, Iran this morning.
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 30, 2003 - 05:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It seems like every hour, every day, the death toll from that terrible earthquake in Iran grows. This morning, the number stands at 28,000. But there is now talk it could go way higher.
To the city devastated by the quake, Bam, in southeastern Iran.
Ryan Chilcote live via video phone -- good morning, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Well, it is an astonishing figure, indeed, 25,000. That is the number, according to an Iranian official here on the ground, of bodies that they have recovered from underneath the rubble since this earthquake on Friday hit about 100 hours ago.
Now, aid teams working here say that they have no verifiable reports of anyone being rescued from underneath rubble since this international relief effort began. And, in fact, a lot of aid workers are saying that, of course, as time goes on, it is less and less likely that they will be able to find anyone underneath the rubble alive.
Perhaps because of that, some of the aid teams have begun to pull out from five countries today, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, a team from the United States has arrived, perhaps a watershed moment in U.S.-Iranian relations. This is the first official delegation or official representatives to come to this country in more than two decades, since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. It is a group of people, some 60, at least 60 officials, both search and rescue officials and a humanitarian assessment team. Their job, to determine the needs of the people of Bam, and those needs are great.
The U.N. coordinating -- the U.N. official in charge of coordinating the operations said that this operation is now shifting from a search and rescue mission to one of rescue -- of addressing these humanitarian needs on the ground. And first and foremost, the biggest concern is the possible threat of the spread of disease. Officials have already warned people in Bam to wear a mask. They're concerned about the dust from all the rubble in this city and they're also concerned about the threat of the spread of that disease. So many people here already wearing masks to protect themselves.
That and, of course, the issue of housing. This city was almost entirely leveled in that quake on Friday and there are now tens of thousands of people without anywhere to sleep -- Carol. COSTELLO: Ryan Chilcote reporting live from Bam, Iran this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
