The
2003 Bam earthquake struck the
Kerman province of southeastern Iran at 01:56
UTC (5:26 AM
Iran Standard Time) on December 26. The shock had a
moment magnitude of 6.6 and a maximum
Mercalli intensity of IX (
Violent). The earthquake was particularly destructive in
Bam,
with the death toll amounting to at least 26,271 people and injuring
up to 30,000. The effects of the earthquake were exacerbated by the use
of mud brick as the standard construction medium; many of the area's
structures did not comply with earthquake regulations set in 1989.
Following the earthquake, the Iranian government seriously considered moving the capital of
Tehran
in fear of an earthquake occurring there. The earthquake had a
psychological impact on many of the victims for years afterwards. A new
institutional framework in Iran was established to address problems of
urban planning and to reconstruct the city of Bam in compliance with
strict seismic regulations. This process marked a turning point, as
government ministers and international organizations collaborated under
this framework with local engineers and local people to organize the
systematic rebuilding of the city.
(...)
The quake occurred at 01:56
UTC (5:26 AM
Iran Standard Time) on December 26, 2003. Its epicenter was roughly 10 kilometres (6 mi) southwest of the ancient city of
Bam. Maximum intensities were at
Bam and Baravat, with the most damage concentrated within the 16 kilometres (10 mi) radius around the city.
At least 26,271 people were killed and 30,000 injured. In terms of
human loss the quake was the worst to occur in Iranian history. The
BBC reported that a large number of victims were crushed while sleeping.
Eleven-thousand students were killed and 1/5 of the 5,400 local
teaching staff were also. This caused a significant problem for the
local education system.
Up to ninety percent of buildings and infrastructure in the
Bam
area were either damaged or destroyed, with 70% of houses being
completely destroyed, plus 70–90% of Bam's residential areas. This left
an estimated 100,000 homeless. Not a single house was standing in
Baravat.
An important regional center during the 16th and 17th centuries, Bam
contained many buildings that were not constructed to survive such
ruptures.
Many houses in Bam were homemade, and its owners did not use skilled
labor or proper building materials to resist earthquakes in the
construction. These were often built in the traditional
mud-brick style. Mohsen Aboutorabi, professor of architecture at the
University of Central England,
demonstrated the lack of good building materials by banging two bricks
together in Bam, resulting in cracking. On the other hand, Iranian
regulations laid down in the 1989 Iran seismic code. were better enforced in high rise buildings and skyscrapers.
