BAM, Dec 28: The death toll from the earthquake which struck the Bam region of southeast Iran could rise to more than 30,000, the provincial governorate said on Sunday.

“We expect the number of dead to exceed 30,000,” said an official of Kerman governorate in the disaster zone.

Earlier, the governor’s office said 22,000 people had died in Friday’s quake, a provisional toll confirmed by the interior ministry.—AFP