A 56-year-old man was on Wednesday night pulled alive from the rubble of the Bam earthquake in southwest Iran, 13 days after the tragedy, medical officials said on Thursday morning.
The man, identified only as Jalil, is in a coma at a Ukranian field hospital, the medical officials said.
He was found by an Iranian search and rescue team and apparently survived thanks to the fact that he was under a piece of furniture, which formed an air pocket allowing him to breathe.
More than 30 000 people are believed to have died in the quake, which struck the town before dawn on December 26.
Iranian state media has reported a number of ”miracle” survivors after rescuers had all but abandoned hope of finding more people alive, including a 97-year-old woman.
In addition to the fact that most people would have been asleep at the time, officials have also attributed the high number of deaths to the mud-brick construction of so many buildings. The bricks tend to disintegrate, allowing less chance of air pockets forming. — Sapa-AFP