The death toll for last week's devastating earthquake in Iran may reach 50,000 people, government officials said Tuesday, as rescue workers managed to pull free two children from the rubble of a destroyed house.
When emergency crews searching for survivors were alerted by the chirping of two canaries from beneath the ruins in the city Bam, they immediately started clearing debris. The official IRNA news agency said, "The two children were stuck in the debris next to their broken bird case.
"After hearing the birds singing, rescue workers went to the location and were removing debris when they found the children."
The children were evacuated to hospital for treatment, but the extent of their injuries was not clear.
On Monday, a baby girl cradled in her dead mother's arms was rescued from another building - 37 hours after the earthquake first hit.
So far, some 28,000 bodies are reported to have been pulled from rubble in the southeastern disaster hit city.
Meanwhile, Turkey is to install some 800 prefabricated houses in Bam, a Turkish official said on Monday.
Speaking to IRNA, he said three representatives of Turkey's Ministry of Public Works and Houses who are accompanying Turkey's humanitarian aid consignment, arrived in Bam Tuesday morning to meet with local officials and install the houses. He added that 4,000 tents will also be erected for temporary accommodation for those who survived the quake. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
