Bam 25,000 bodies found
Rescue workers in south-east Iran have said that 25,000 bodies have been recovered from the debris of the ancient city of Bam, which was the epicentre of Friday's powerful earthquake.
They say that they expect this number to rise further as hopes fade of finding any more survivors.
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has spent three hours in the city to inspect the damage himself. He pledged to rebuild the city and its ancient fortress.
Rescue efforts are now focusing on providing shelter for the thousands of people made homeless by the catastrophe.
As the search and rescue operation draws to a close, it is expected that the most immediate needs will be shelter, water and sanitation for those who have survived.
There is also a growing threat of disease because of the large numbers of unburied corpses.
The Irish Aid agency Concern is sending two rapid response co-ordinators to Bam tomorrow. John Kilkenny and Ros O'Sullivan will carry out an assessment of the immediate needs of the people in the area.
Concern has allocated €200,000 of its budget to aid the earthquake victims; however the organisation is appealing for further donations.
