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CNN Sunday Morning
Iran Earthquake: The Aftermath
Aired December 28, 2003 - 08:01 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the earthquake that crushed the ancient city of Bam in southeast Iran. The death toll is staggering and still climbing. But a global rescue effort is also gaining momentum. The United Nations says 21 countries are sending aid. The U.S., Russia, China and South Africa are among those helping out. The death toll is now estimated to be between 14,000 and 20,000, but officials say that number is likely to rise. The United Nations says the search for survivors will continue throughout the day.
Let's get more now on the U.S. relief effort in Iran.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is spending the holidays.
Suzanne, two cargo planes already landed. Haven't been there in a very, very long time.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi.
It's absolutely amazing when you think about it. This is the first time that U.S. military aircraft have landed in Iran since 23 years ago. That was the failed rescue mission for the U.S. hostages. We are bringing blankets, blood, masks and many more supplies. This really is an opportunity for both countries to put aside their political differences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): The Virginia Task Force, activated at four in the morning, for deployment to Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no question, the guys here, they're completely up to the challenge.
MALVEAUX: The 73-member team made up of rigging specialist, search and rescue squads, dog teams and doctors, are preparing for the worst, but hope to find survivors.
DAN SCHMIDT, FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPT.: We've got specialized equipment such as sound equipment, where we can hear people that are still alive.
MALVEAUX: The Bush administration is putting aside its differences with Iran to launch a massive humanitarian mission following Friday's devastating earthquake. Saturday, the White House announced that it's working with the Iranian government, the U.N. and the International Red Cross to provide immediate aid, including 200 civilian experts from various fields, additional teams from U.S. AID, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the State Department -- and $150,000 pounds of medical supplies delivered by the U.S. military from bases in Kuwait.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These regimes pose a grave and growing danger.
MALVEAUX: All this to a nation President Bush once called a member of the axis of evil. Some analysts believe Iran is moving towards thawing its chilly relations with the U.S.
RAY TAKEYH, NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY: Given the fact that the Iranians have accepted this aid and accepted it with gratitude and speed, it does reflect some degree of openness on their part to have maybe a better relationship with the United States.
MALVEAUX: But the U.S. may be more reluctant. Despite Iran's recent overtures to open its doors to international weapons inspectors, some administration officials aren't yet convinced Iran is ready to change.
TAKEYH: Iran has a long ways to go before it satisfies the Bush administration or any other administration. The enmity between the two countries is 25 years old, and these are serious issues of disagreement between the two countries.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, in a rare move, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage directly called Iran's U.N. ambassador to offer condolences and aid, but a State Department spokesman also said that this humanitarian mission is really not going to change the tone and intensity of dialogue between the U.S. and Iran when it comes to other matters of grave concern -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much. Live from Crawford this morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: More precise figures are being reported on the death toll from the earthquake. A government official saying up to 15,000 bodies have already been buried, but the death toll is expected to go much higher.
Meanwhile, relief, supplies and search and rescue teams from around the world are arriving in Iran. We get more from reporter Kasra Naji.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASRA NAJI, CORRESPONDENT: Time is running out for thousands of people who are thought to still be buried under rubble here. It's more than 48 hours since the earthquake struck -- struck here, and there are thousands of rescue workers, both Iranian and international from many countries here, and they are doing their best. They've got to work today. It's lunchtime now. They've been working for several hours since daybreak to bring -- dig under the rubble and try and see whether they can bring anybody out alive. So far, we haven't heard of anybody rescued alive under the rubble. But, of course, their bodies are still being brought out on an hourly basis here. So rescue -- search and rescue mission is continuing, and we've got so many people from so many countries.
In fact, the U.N. is saying 21 countries are contributing to this search and rescue mission, including the United States, by the way. And there have been two planes from the United States that have landed in Kerman, which is about 200 kilometers from here. They're flying in aid, and there's going to be more, according to one Air Force official who told me that they are expecting more planes bringing American aid and American aid workers and medical teams here to Iran. Iranians are saying that they are happy to receive aid from any quarter except Israel, their arch-enemy, basically.
And beyond that, in terms of numbers of the casualties still, we're having trouble pinpointing exactly how many people have been dead. There are various conflicting figures from various sources. But what is certain is the number who have been buried, and the officials here are saying that so far, they have buried more than 5,000 people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 28, 2003 - 08:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the earthquake that crushed the ancient city of Bam in southeast Iran. The death toll is staggering and still climbing. But a global rescue effort is also gaining momentum. The United Nations says 21 countries are sending aid. The U.S., Russia, China and South Africa are among those helping out. The death toll is now estimated to be between 14,000 and 20,000, but officials say that number is likely to rise. The United Nations says the search for survivors will continue throughout the day.
Let's get more now on the U.S. relief effort in Iran.
CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux is in Crawford, Texas, where the president is spending the holidays.
Suzanne, two cargo planes already landed. Haven't been there in a very, very long time.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi.
It's absolutely amazing when you think about it. This is the first time that U.S. military aircraft have landed in Iran since 23 years ago. That was the failed rescue mission for the U.S. hostages. We are bringing blankets, blood, masks and many more supplies. This really is an opportunity for both countries to put aside their political differences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): The Virginia Task Force, activated at four in the morning, for deployment to Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's no question, the guys here, they're completely up to the challenge.
MALVEAUX: The 73-member team made up of rigging specialist, search and rescue squads, dog teams and doctors, are preparing for the worst, but hope to find survivors.
DAN SCHMIDT, FAIRFAX COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DEPT.: We've got specialized equipment such as sound equipment, where we can hear people that are still alive.
MALVEAUX: The Bush administration is putting aside its differences with Iran to launch a massive humanitarian mission following Friday's devastating earthquake. Saturday, the White House announced that it's working with the Iranian government, the U.N. and the International Red Cross to provide immediate aid, including 200 civilian experts from various fields, additional teams from U.S. AID, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the State Department -- and $150,000 pounds of medical supplies delivered by the U.S. military from bases in Kuwait.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: These regimes pose a grave and growing danger.
MALVEAUX: All this to a nation President Bush once called a member of the axis of evil. Some analysts believe Iran is moving towards thawing its chilly relations with the U.S.
RAY TAKEYH, NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY: Given the fact that the Iranians have accepted this aid and accepted it with gratitude and speed, it does reflect some degree of openness on their part to have maybe a better relationship with the United States.
MALVEAUX: But the U.S. may be more reluctant. Despite Iran's recent overtures to open its doors to international weapons inspectors, some administration officials aren't yet convinced Iran is ready to change.
TAKEYH: Iran has a long ways to go before it satisfies the Bush administration or any other administration. The enmity between the two countries is 25 years old, and these are serious issues of disagreement between the two countries.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: Now, Heidi, in a rare move, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage directly called Iran's U.N. ambassador to offer condolences and aid, but a State Department spokesman also said that this humanitarian mission is really not going to change the tone and intensity of dialogue between the U.S. and Iran when it comes to other matters of grave concern -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right. Suzanne Malveaux, thanks so much. Live from Crawford this morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: More precise figures are being reported on the death toll from the earthquake. A government official saying up to 15,000 bodies have already been buried, but the death toll is expected to go much higher.
Meanwhile, relief, supplies and search and rescue teams from around the world are arriving in Iran. We get more from reporter Kasra Naji.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASRA NAJI, CORRESPONDENT: Time is running out for thousands of people who are thought to still be buried under rubble here. It's more than 48 hours since the earthquake struck -- struck here, and there are thousands of rescue workers, both Iranian and international from many countries here, and they are doing their best. They've got to work today. It's lunchtime now. They've been working for several hours since daybreak to bring -- dig under the rubble and try and see whether they can bring anybody out alive. So far, we haven't heard of anybody rescued alive under the rubble. But, of course, their bodies are still being brought out on an hourly basis here. So rescue -- search and rescue mission is continuing, and we've got so many people from so many countries.
In fact, the U.N. is saying 21 countries are contributing to this search and rescue mission, including the United States, by the way. And there have been two planes from the United States that have landed in Kerman, which is about 200 kilometers from here. They're flying in aid, and there's going to be more, according to one Air Force official who told me that they are expecting more planes bringing American aid and American aid workers and medical teams here to Iran. Iranians are saying that they are happy to receive aid from any quarter except Israel, their arch-enemy, basically.
And beyond that, in terms of numbers of the casualties still, we're having trouble pinpointing exactly how many people have been dead. There are various conflicting figures from various sources. But what is certain is the number who have been buried, and the officials here are saying that so far, they have buried more than 5,000 people.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
