Earthquake in Bam, Iran

Up to 40,000 people are feared to have died in the quake which struck Bam, Iran, on Friday morning, December 26 2003. An estimated 80% of the city of 100,000 was flattened in the disaster. The buildings in this area are mostly made from mud bricks, which could not withstand the stresses.

The earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, struck the Silk Road city of Bam just before dawn on Friday. The epicenter was just outside the city, which is 630 miles southeast of the capital, Teheran. State media said the earthquake had also damaged towns and villages around Bam. It struck at 5:28am local time (01:58 GMT), while most people were still sleeping. The quake leveled Bam's medieval fortress, a massive complex of towers and domes, made of mud brick, that overlooks a walled old city and attracts thousands of tourists each year.

The GCP data show no trend focused on the time of the quake or the main aftershock, though there is a strong increment beginning about three hours after the main tremblor. Chisquare is 28887 on 28800 df, with p = 0.357.

Earthquake in Bam, Iran


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