BAM, Jan 3: An elderly woman rescued from the rubble of the Bam earthquake said on Saturday she had been kept alive by God and after eight long days freezing and without food or water had just one humble request - a cup of tea.

Ms Shahrbanou Mazandarani, believed to be in her 90s, became an instant celebrity after she was found by soldiers who took three hours to pull the tiny but robust woman from beneath fallen timbers.

"Chai" - the Persian word for tea - was among the first words Mazandarani uttered. But when rescuers handed the healthy-looking woman a steaming cup of the cherished Iranian drink, she pushed it away.

"It's hot," she admonished them. "Don't give it to me now."

"God kept me alive," Ms Mazandarani said before reciting the poem about God and his power in running the universe.-Reuters