Iranian President Mohammed Khatami says Iran would accept international assistance to help deal with the devastating earthquake Tuesday that has claimed more than 400 lives.
In the meantime, freezing rain is affecting rescue efforts and theMore bodies continued to be pulled from mud and rubble as residents and rescuers in Iran continued their frantic search for possible survivors of the powerful quake. Working in freezing rain, rescue teams used dogs and heavy machinery to search for survivors, while residents scraped through debris with their bare hands. Entire villages were flattened by the earthquake that struck early Tuesday with a magnitude of six-point-four on the Richter scale. Grief-stricken residents in one devastated village blocked roads to protest the delay in receiving basic supplies such as tents and blankets. Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said while Iran would not ask for international help, he said such help would be accepted if offered. About 30-thousand people in as many as 50 villages have been affected by the temblor that has produced dozens of aftershocks. many residents who remain without shelter.