A magnitude 6.6 (Ms) earthquake struck the city of Bam in southeast Iran at 5:26:52 AM (local time) on Friday, December 26, 2003. The city’s population was about 90,000, with 200,000 total residents in the greater Bam area. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicates that the Bam earthquake caused the deaths of approximately 43,200 residents and injured approximately 20,000. 

Some 75,600 people (14,730 households) were displaced, and 25,000 

dwellings were razed. An additional 24,000 dwellings were destroyed in 

the rural areas. The vast majority of buildings in the city collapsed, and 

most of the remaining buildings were severely damaged. In terms of human cost, the Bam earthquake ranks as the worst disaster in Iranian history.