At least 45 planes loaded with aid relief for the earthquake victims in Iran's southeastern city of Bam have landed in the region from all over the world, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. 

The planes carry all kinds of assistance, including tents, medicine, sniffer dogs and medical workers, IRNA quoted an official from the Air Iran as saying.

The official noted that nine planes arrived from Turkey, three from Switzerland, four from Saudi Arabia, two from Russia, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Amrenia, Pakistan and Azerbaijan each.

Egypt, the United States, Syria, Germany, Britain, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia, Morocco, Finland and Algeria have each sent one plane.

A Chinese rescue team has begun work shortly after arriving in the quake-ruined city of Bam in Iran's southeastern province of Kerman on Sunday.

The Chinese team, the first Asian rescue mission that arrived in the disaster area, has been divided into several groups and joined the rank of local rescuers in search for survivors.

The strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.3 on the open-ended Richter scale rocked the city of Bam in Iran's southeastern province of Kerman at 5:28 am (0158 GMT) early Friday, killing more than 30,000 people and leveling 70 percent of the mud-brick buildings of the ancient city of Bam. 

Iranian helicopter crashes near Bam, killing three

An Iranian helicopter crashed near the earthquake-devastated city of Bam on Sunday after delivering aid, killing three people, the ISNA news agency reported.

The helicopter, which belonged to the Iranian navy, crashed on its way to Bandar Abbas, once it delivered its relief items to Bam, local official Asadollah Iranmansh told ISNA.

According to the report, two pilots and a third person on board were killed.

A strong earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale rocked the Bam city on early Friday, destroying 90 percent of the buildings in the ancient Silk Road city. The Iranian Interior Ministry said Sunday over 20,000 people have been confirmed dead so far. 

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2003)