An earthquake of 6.3 magnitude struck the city of Barn in Iran on Saturday. Casualty estimates vary from 5,000 to 20,000 dead. Eighty percent of the historic city was destroyed and the truth is that no one knows how many are dead in the rubble.

The government of Iran has appealed for international aid and US and European aid teams are expected to arrive beginning today. It is freezing cold in the city and many people only have the clothes that they were wearing when the quake hit. The city had a pre-quake population of about 80,000. There is currently no water, gas or electricity in the city.

My heart goes out to those who died in the quake and I hope that the aid teams can help the survivors.