Small quake victims flood orphanages
'Mister, hug me' cries 2-year-old
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Nurses don’t know the name of this child who is among three dozen under age six at the orphanage.
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The U.S. aid workers are the first American officials in Iran in 20 years.
U.S. aid workers' arrival spurs hope for renewed dialogue with Iran.
A family buries a son and struggles to stay warm after the Iran earthquake.
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KERMAN, Iran (AP) -- Six-year-old Atefeh Razmi plays with a puzzle in the children's care center, waiting for her parents to come pick her up. "They will come see me soon," she says, smiling.
But like the 80 other children at the Kermanian Nursery Center, Atefeh is newly orphaned: Her parents were among the more than 28,000 people killed in southeast Iran's earthquake.
Five days after Friday's 6.6-magnitude quake, Iran's orphanages are rapidly filling as aid workers sort the living from the dead and deliver young survivors to the provincial capital of Kerman, 120 miles northwest of the destroyed ancient city of Bam. (Full story)
An estimated 1,500 children have been recovered without family so far and are being held at orphanages.
At the Kermanian orphanage, a nurse told a tale of hope, about a baby born the day the earthquake hit. The girl's father was killed in the quake. Her mother suffered a broken back and other severe injuries and died moments after giving birth.
"She never saw her mom," said nurse Zahra Mirnajafi, tears rolling down her cheeks.
The nurse named the infant "Mahdieh" after the 8th-century imam Al Mehdi, who Shiites believe will return as a messiah. According to legend, Al Mehdi's mother also died after giving birth.
Doctor: Children need affection
Mostly, the nurses talk about their need for more help to care for the growing number of needy orphans.
"Mister, hug me," a 2-year-old cried out to a visitor.
"Hold me," said another, as groups of children stretched out their arms to or clamped on the legs of passing adults.
Iran's government says the quake killed at least 28,000 people, but the number of those still buried in the ruins of Bam remained unclear. A U.N. report that cited government figures said the death toll by Tuesday was at least 33,000. The report also said that 30,000 people were injured, up from earlier official figures of 12,000.
Aid workers on Wednesday rushed tons of newly delivered blankets, medical supplies and generators to survivors, rushing to prevent an outbreak of disease caused by dirty drinking water.
As aid continued to pour in from around the world, a top priority in the days ahead was to prevent the outbreak of typhoid or cholera, though there have been no reports of epidemics yet.
Yet money is also needed to help the children orphaned in the quake, said Mohammad Reza Rahchamani, head of Iran's State Welfare Organization. He appealed to the international community, including Iranian expatriates.
So far, he said, 1,500 children are being held at orphanages. "A few have parents hospitalized in various parts of Iran, but most of them will remain without family. We will look after them," he said.
Mahdieh, bottom right, was born minutes before her mother died from her injuries.
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At the children's center in Kerman, about three dozen children play with games, dolls and toy cars in a colorfully decorated room. Most have injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken legs.
Some, like Atefeh, can't comprehend their parents are not coming for them. Others seemed overwhelmed by fear and loneliness, grabbing onto visitors and refusing to let go. One girl, age 3, sobbed and cried out for her mother.
"They are in need of affection," pediatrician Noushin Mirhosseini said. "We are trying to partly fill the gap of their parents for them. They need to be taken care of."
Copyright 2003 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
