Earthquake related injuries: assessment of 854 victims of the 2003 Bam disaster transported to tertiary referral hospitals.

Background: In December 2003, the residents of Bam, Iran experienced an earthquake that measured 6.6 on the Richter scale and destroyed >90% of the city. After the assessment and initial treatment of injuries at national and international field hospitals, a considerable number of victims (approximately 12,000) were transferred to tertiary referral hospitals around the country.