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CNN Live Saturday
Iranian Earthquake: Hope Amid the Destruction
Aired January 03, 2004 - 14:09 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: In the ancient city of Bam, Iran, survivors are still being pulled from the rubble more than a week after a devastating earthquake there. Today, the heartwarming story of a 97-year-old woman who made it to safety after a very lengthy ordeal.
CNN's Kasra Naji is in Bam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nine days since this devastating earthquake hit this ancient town. And today, they were still digging bodies up from under the rubble.
But today there was also an exception. They found a lady, a woman, a 97-year-old woman, alive from under the rubble. Iranian Red Crescent, which is the equivalent of the Red Cross in the West, says its aid workers found the lady in a house whose roof had fall through. But she survived in a cavity, created by a fallen, covered beam and also an air shaft belonging to the air conditioning system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a remarkable discovery. I've never come across anything like it in a previous disaster of this scale. And the doctor who treated her first said that, you know, it's a miracle. There's no real explanation for it, beyond the fact that she's elderly woman and her metabolism rate may have been so reduced that that enabled her to survive for this length of time.
NAJI: When they brought her to the hospital, she was in remarkable health and the doctors said that she was only suffering from a mild shock and general weakness. So they do say miracles happen, and this might well be it.
Kasra Naji, CNN, Bam, southern Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Another morale booster in the earthquake ravaged city. An American medical team delivered four babies overnight. All of the newborns are said to be in perfect condition.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
FREDRCIKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Southern California, and a memorial service this hour for victims of the Christmas Day flash floods and mudslides.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is in San Bernardino County -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you there, Fredricka?
It is just an incredibly sad day here in San Bernardino, where at the Church of God of the Prophecy, 1,600 people are expected to show up for 11 of the victims that are being remembered here today. Their coffins inside before this service started, as we saw it, range in size from adult. -- - there are four adults there -- - the rest children, down to an 8-month-old little boy -- - an entire family of five, the Monzone family, they were the caretakers of at the St. Sophia camp. The entire family was wiped out, husband, wife, and their three kids. The 8-month-old was their youngest son.
All of these people died on Christmas Day. Floods came down through the fire ravaged area here around San Bernardino, bringing down water, boulders, trees and just wiped out this family at a Greek Orthodox church site. Monzone, Mr. Monzone, was the caretaker at that church site up here in the mountains. It was a summer camp for the Greek church and many of his friend and family were spending the day with him during Christmas and they were killed. There was also another two people killed in a separate mudslide several miles west of here, in Devore. One of those people is remembered at another church here in Sam Bernardino.
Six of the people who were at this church today will be buried here in San Bernardino. They will -- - their coffins will be marched up to a cemetery a couple of miles from this church and four others -- or, five other, the Monzone family, will be buried in Guatemala. Their families will be flown out on Tuesday -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Miguel, thanks very much for that update.
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 January 3, 2004 - 14:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: In the ancient city of Bam, Iran, survivors are still being pulled from the rubble more than a week after a devastating earthquake there. Today, the heartwarming story of a 97-year-old woman who made it to safety after a very lengthy ordeal.
CNN's Kasra Naji is in Bam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's nine days since this devastating earthquake hit this ancient town. And today, they were still digging bodies up from under the rubble.
But today there was also an exception. They found a lady, a woman, a 97-year-old woman, alive from under the rubble. Iranian Red Crescent, which is the equivalent of the Red Cross in the West, says its aid workers found the lady in a house whose roof had fall through. But she survived in a cavity, created by a fallen, covered beam and also an air shaft belonging to the air conditioning system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a remarkable discovery. I've never come across anything like it in a previous disaster of this scale. And the doctor who treated her first said that, you know, it's a miracle. There's no real explanation for it, beyond the fact that she's elderly woman and her metabolism rate may have been so reduced that that enabled her to survive for this length of time.
NAJI: When they brought her to the hospital, she was in remarkable health and the doctors said that she was only suffering from a mild shock and general weakness. So they do say miracles happen, and this might well be it.
Kasra Naji, CNN, Bam, southern Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Another morale booster in the earthquake ravaged city. An American medical team delivered four babies overnight. All of the newborns are said to be in perfect condition.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
FREDRCIKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Now to Southern California, and a memorial service this hour for victims of the Christmas Day flash floods and mudslides.
CNN's Miguel Marquez is in San Bernardino County -- Miguel.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you there, Fredricka?
It is just an incredibly sad day here in San Bernardino, where at the Church of God of the Prophecy, 1,600 people are expected to show up for 11 of the victims that are being remembered here today. Their coffins inside before this service started, as we saw it, range in size from adult. -- - there are four adults there -- - the rest children, down to an 8-month-old little boy -- - an entire family of five, the Monzone family, they were the caretakers of at the St. Sophia camp. The entire family was wiped out, husband, wife, and their three kids. The 8-month-old was their youngest son.
All of these people died on Christmas Day. Floods came down through the fire ravaged area here around San Bernardino, bringing down water, boulders, trees and just wiped out this family at a Greek Orthodox church site. Monzone, Mr. Monzone, was the caretaker at that church site up here in the mountains. It was a summer camp for the Greek church and many of his friend and family were spending the day with him during Christmas and they were killed. There was also another two people killed in a separate mudslide several miles west of here, in Devore. One of those people is remembered at another church here in Sam Bernardino.
Six of the people who were at this church today will be buried here in San Bernardino. They will -- - their coffins will be marched up to a cemetery a couple of miles from this church and four others -- or, five other, the Monzone family, will be buried in Guatemala. Their families will be flown out on Tuesday -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Miguel, thanks very much for that update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
