Rescue teams arrive in Iran
British emergency rescue workers have arrived in Iran to join the search for survivors following the devastating earthquake that killed over 20,000 people.
Around 50 British volunteers flew out on Friday evening from Stansted airport on a government-funded plane.
They are accompanied by sniffer dogs and will travel to the ancient city of Bam after landing in Kerman, 125 miles from the epicentre of the quake.
Two thirds of the buildings in the historic city, situated some 600 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran, have collapsed, with many people feared trapped under the rubble.
Emergency crews from Rapid-UK will use high tech equipment such as snake-eye cameras, high-tech listening devices and carbon dioxide detectors to search for possible survivors in the disaster area where two hospitals and apartment blocks collapsed.
Members from the International Rescue Corps (IRC) and fire and rescue teams from Essex, Hampshire and Kent have also been scrambled.
The British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal following the quake.
Donations can be made by ringing 0207 245 1000.
Britain, America, European countries such as Russia, Germany, Poland, France, and Italy have pledged to send aid, including rescue specialists, firefighters, sniffer dogs, doctors, paramedics and engineers.
