BAM, Iran, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Searchers digging through the rubble of an Iranian earthquake found a man alive who apparently had survived for six days in his collapsed house.
Yadollah Saadat, 26, was found Wednesday under a wardrobe, which probably saved his life in Friday's earthquake, the BBC reported Thursday.
Saadat is said to have been saved by the persistence of his wife, who was knocked unconscious in the quake but returned to dig for her husband after being released from hospital.
Medical officials said that, among other problems, Saadat had suffered a broken hip.
As many as 50,000 may have died and another 100,000 have been left homeless by the tremor. About 90 percent of the city of Bam's buildings are damaged or destroyed.
Iranian state media reported that five people were pulled alive from the ruins on Tuesday and another 11 on Wednesday.
