The 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran was a magnitude 6.6 earthquake on the moment magnitude scale that struck at 5:26 a.m. on Friday, December 26, 2003, lasting for about 12 seconds. It devastated the city of Bam and its surrounding areas in the eastern part of Kerman Province. The earthquake caused the deaths of around 34,000 people, though unofficial estimates suggest between 50,000 and 70,000 fatalities. The 2003 Bam earthquake was the third deadliest earthquake in Iran’s recorded history, following the Ardabil earthquake (March 27, 893) and the Damghan earthquake (December 22, 893).