The earthquake that destroyed the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in Iran killed 41,000 people and the death toll could rise further, a senior political aide told the official IRNA news agency today.
"Up to this point 41,000 have been killed and the toll could reach 45,000," an aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying.
A pre-dawn quake razed the date-growing citadel city on December 26th, demolishing most of its mud-brick houses.
Official sources earlier this month confirmed the deaths of more than 30,000 people.