Prayers have been said at the mosque for the earthquake victims

The Islamic Centre in St Helen's Road is calling for people to donate blankets and clothing to help the survivors of an earthquake which devastated the historic city of Bam on Friday.

About 400 foreign experts, including a rescue team from Conwy, north Wales, are digging through the rubble to find survivors in a city where more than 20,000 people are now thought to have died.

The rescuers say hope is fading of finding many more survivors.

Dr Mohammad Pipelzadeh, from the Islamic Centre, said they had already received items from members of the mosque and appealed for members outside the Muslim community to donate blankets and clothing.

Donations have begun to arrive for the appeal

Dr Pipelzadeh, who is from Iran, said: "We would like to ask other people in Wales if they could help the appeal."

He added that no Iranian members of the Islamic Centre had lost family or friends in the disaster.

Prayers were said at the mosque for the victims on Sunday evening.

Bam and the surrounding area is home to more than 200,000 people.

Thousands have spent a second night sleeping in the open or in their cars, fearful of aftershocks.

The earthquake quake had a magnitude of at least 6.3, according to Iranian sources, while the US Geological Survey measured it at 6.7.