IRAN: A 56-year-old man was rescued alive after spending 13 days beneath the rubble of the earthquake-razed Iranian city of Bam, but he then slipped into a coma and doctors said yesterday they feared for his life.
The man was found by rescue workers on Wednesday trapped beneath a wardrobe which had apparently saved his life.
"It seems he had some water because around him was wet," said medic Mr Mehdi Shadnoush, part of a Ukrainian-Iranian team treating the man.
"When he arrived at the hospital his signs of life were very weak. He was frozen and now he is in a coma," Mr Shadnoush said.
The man lay on a hospital bed covered by a white blanket and had an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. He looked very thin. "We are following his status minute by minute but we don't hold out too much hope," Mr Shadnoush said.
Experts say it is very rare for people to survive for more than 72 hours in such conditions. Temperatures have fallen to around freezing most nights since the earthquake struck. - (Reuters)