Man found alive in quake rubble
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The man was in a coma when he was found by search teams.
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BAM, Iran (CNN) -- Thirteen days after being buried underneath earthquake rubble, a 56-year old man was found alive but in poor health in the southeastern Iranian city of Bam, an International Red Crescent spokesman said.
The man was in a coma when he was found by search teams. He was taken to the International Federation Center -- a coalition of humanitarian relief agencies -- for treatment.
A magnitude 6.6 quake struck Bam on December 26, killing an estimated 30,000 people, leveling most of the town and destroying a 2,000 year-old fortress near the city.
Iranian authorities last week ended general search-and-rescue operations, despite the rescue of a 97-year-old woman on Saturday. (Full story)
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.
Aid workers told Reuters the rescued man had travelled from a nearby village to Bam for medical treatment and was staying with his sister when the earthquake struck.
"We have sent people to his village to bring his wife to the hospital," said Iranian aid worker Mohammad Reza Tahmasbi.
Rescue workers were prompted to look for the man after a woman from the neighbourhood noticed his body had not yet been recovered.
Relief workers from Iran and more than 60 countries have been trying to help tens of thousands of survivors who are homeless and without basic necessities.
Thousands of Iranians have been sleeping outdoors after tremors sparked fears of another disaster.
