Quake Kills 20,000 in Ancient Iranian City - A powerful earthquake struck the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in southeastern Iran on December 26, 2003, killing 'thousands' and razing many buildings, state television said. Iranian television said about 70 per cent of the buildings in Bam, a popular tourist destination some 600 miles southeast of the capital, Tehran, had collapsed in the earthquake which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale. (Reuters Graphic) MASH