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Iran hit by deadly earthquake - 26th December 2003

Over 20,000 people have died following an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter Scale that hit Iran at 5.26am on the morning of 26th December. Iran is on a slab of land surrounded by fault lines and is an area prone to earthquakes. The quake was centred on the ancient city of Bam which is about 600 miles SE of the countries capital Tehran.

It is estimated that between 6,000 to 15,000 people were killed directly with a further 30,000 people injured in the quake. Due to the timing of the earthquake (5.26am) many were still asleep and their mud brick homes were not equipped to withstand the shock waves sent out by the earthquake. The devastation was made worse by powerful aftershocks!

For an overview of the cause of the Iranian earthquake see the Guardian's Interactive Guide

For further articles on the Cause, Effect and Implications of the earthquake see the following links

BBC News - Selected Articles

Starting from scratch in Bam http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3363125.stm

Miracle rescue from the rubble http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3366571.stm

Historic city counts its losses http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/3365267.stm

The Politics of earthquakes http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3351121.stm

BBCi Natural Disasters Guide http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/naturaldisasters/earthquakes.shtml

 The Guardian - Selected Articles

Interactive guide to the Iran Earthquake and its causes http://www.guardian.co.uk/flash/0,5860,1112768,00.html

Iran earthquake toll may reach 40,000 http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1113719,00.html

Why was Iran’s death toll so high? http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1112938,00.html

There is nothing but debris and devastation http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1112922,00.html

We should have been ready for this say Iranians http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,12858,1113507,00.html

 
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