Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Death Toll in Iran Could Exceed 22,000 from Quake
Aired December 29, 2003 - 07:09 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Iran, hopes are fading there that more survivors will be found in the devastation that was caused by a massive earthquake, and authorities predict that the final death toll could exceed 22,000. The quake that hit the ancient city of Bam on Friday has left tens of thousands of people homeless.
Ryan Chilcote is following the recovery efforts for us in Bam, and he joins from there us by videophone this morning.
Ryan -- good morning.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, the body count here in Bam, according to a local -- to a provisional official, now stands at 25,000. That provisional official is saying that they have recovered 25,000 bodies from under the rubble and have buried most of them.
Now, these burials are happening in mass graves on the outskirts of Bam, almost in an assembly-line fashion -- bulldozers digging those mass graves and people being buried more and more people every hour.
There are aid workers from throughout the world here, including a team from the United States that we understand touched down at a nearby airfield a few hours ago. They are expected here in Bam anytime now.
Among them, some 80 rescue officials and an assessment team, very importantly, whose job will be to determine the humanitarian needs of the people here in Bam. That is important, because despite the fact that we have reports that they did find three people alive buried underneath the rubble yesterday, including a 14-year-old girl, they haven't been able to find any people alive under the rubble today.
And a U.N. official who is coordinating the rescue effort says that the real emerging story here is a looming humanitarian crisis. Specifically the issue is the problem of the decomposing bodies and the threat they pose of the spread of disease.
There is also, of course, the problem that there is virtually in this city of 200,000 no more housing, and there is little electricity and little water -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote for us this morning from Bam. Ryan, thank you.
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 29, 2003 - 07:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Turning now to Iran, hopes are fading there that more survivors will be found in the devastation that was caused by a massive earthquake, and authorities predict that the final death toll could exceed 22,000. The quake that hit the ancient city of Bam on Friday has left tens of thousands of people homeless.
Ryan Chilcote is following the recovery efforts for us in Bam, and he joins from there us by videophone this morning.
Ryan -- good morning.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Well, the body count here in Bam, according to a local -- to a provisional official, now stands at 25,000. That provisional official is saying that they have recovered 25,000 bodies from under the rubble and have buried most of them.
Now, these burials are happening in mass graves on the outskirts of Bam, almost in an assembly-line fashion -- bulldozers digging those mass graves and people being buried more and more people every hour.
There are aid workers from throughout the world here, including a team from the United States that we understand touched down at a nearby airfield a few hours ago. They are expected here in Bam anytime now.
Among them, some 80 rescue officials and an assessment team, very importantly, whose job will be to determine the humanitarian needs of the people here in Bam. That is important, because despite the fact that we have reports that they did find three people alive buried underneath the rubble yesterday, including a 14-year-old girl, they haven't been able to find any people alive under the rubble today.
And a U.N. official who is coordinating the rescue effort says that the real emerging story here is a looming humanitarian crisis. Specifically the issue is the problem of the decomposing bodies and the threat they pose of the spread of disease.
There is also, of course, the problem that there is virtually in this city of 200,000 no more housing, and there is little electricity and little water -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Ryan Chilcote for us this morning from Bam. Ryan, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
