Iran quake rescue winds down

Iran's supreme leader vowed yesterday to return the ancient quake-shattered city of Bam to its former glory, as rescuers wound down the search for survivors of Friday's disaster which killed up to 30,000 people.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who wields ultimate power in the Islamic Republic of 66 million people, flew to Bam, 1,000 kilometres southeast of the capital, Tehran, and pledged to rebuild the Silk Road city.

"We share your sorrow, those lost are our children. We will rebuild Bam stronger than before," he said, addressing a crowd in one of the city's devastated squares. The quake was the world's deadliest in at least a decade. Aid offers have poured in from around the globe including from arch foe the United States which severed ties with Iran a quarter of a century ago.

But with some 25,000 victims already buried and virtually no habitable buildings left standing in Bam, survivors were leaving the city in droves.

Sohrab Mohammadabadi, 46, who works as a driver, had packed a refrigerator, luggage and carpets on top of his car.

"My house has been destroyed. I'm going to Rostamabad, about three kilometres away, to stay with relatives," he said.

As darkness fell on the city, people huddled around open fires in front of the rubble where their homes once stood. Street lights illuminated patches of the city as power began to return.

Tahereh Taherian, a 45-year-old housewife, said she had lost 60 family members in the quake. "God is testing us," she said. "I'm thanking God because one of our sons has been left alive."

Many international rescue teams had begun packing up their sophisticated equipment by last night, concluding no-one could still be alive beneath the ravaged city.

"The first phase is over," said Thomas Krimm, spokesman of Germany's THW disaster relief organisation.