Agence France Presse

Bam, January 8

A 56-year-old man was pulled alive last night from the rubble of the Bam

earthquake in southwest Iran, 13 days after the tragedy, medical officials said this morning.

The man, identified only as Jalil, was in a coma at a Ukranian field hospital, the medical officials said.

He was found by an Iranian search and rescue team and apparently survived thanks to the fact that he was under a piece of furniture, which formed an air pocket allowing him to breathe.

More than 30,000 people are believed to have died in the quake, which struck the town before dawn on December 26.

Iranian state media has reported a number of "miracle" survivors after rescuers had all but abandoned hope of finding more people alive, including a 97-year-old woman.

In addition to the fact that most people would have been asleep at the time, officials also attributed the high number of deaths to the mud-brick construction of so many buildings.

Following the earthquake the bricks tended to disintegrate, allowing less chance of air pockets forming.