The United Nations, the European Union and countries including the United States and Russia were sending aid to Iran to help victims of a devastating earthquake on Friday that killed more than 20,000 people.

"We are offering humanitarian assistance," U.S. President Bush's spokesman said. "This is a terrible tragedy."

The United States broke diplomatic relations with Iran after militant students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on November 4, 1979, and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

The State Department was expected to spell out details of an aid package shortly, a U.S. official said.

Italy, as current president of the European Union, was coordinating EU aid to avoid duplication.

U.N. officials said they were releasing an immediate emergency grant of $90,000 to help Iran handle the aftermath of the quake and had sent experts to help assess the damage.

The world body's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the U.N. team, due to reach the ancient Silk Road city of Bam in southeastern Iran later in the day, would also work to mobilize and oversee international assistance.

The immediate need was for medicines, tents, mobile hospitals, electricity generators, water purification equipment and blankets, OCHA's Madeleine Moulin-Azevedo said.

The Tehran authorities had not yet identified any urgent requirement for food supplies, OCHA said.

The U.N. children's fund UNICEF said it was sending first aid kits and medical supplies. It called for $350,000 in donations.

THERMAL IMAGING EQUIPMENT

Russia's Emergencies Ministry, highly skilled in reacting to frequent natural and man-made disasters, has offered rapid-response units of doctors, paramedics and sniffer dog handlers to help find people buried under rubble.

"In accordance with an order from the head of state Emergencies Ministry specialists are preparing to fly to Iran to give help to the injured," said a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin's press service after a meeting with Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Itar-Tass news agency quoted the Emergencies Ministry as saying planes would leave for Iran on Saturday with 100 experts for searching collapsed buildings, 10 doctors and search dogs.

Russia has close ties with Iran, and is building a nuclear power station near the southern city of Bushehr on the Gulf.

Italy was sending a C-130 military transport plane with a sniffer dog unit, firefighters and search teams later on Friday, the civil protection department said.

Agostino Miozzo, who is coordinating the EU aid, said France was sending a field hospital and the Czech Republic, one of the 10 countries entering the bloc next year, had also offered aid.

"This is the first time EU coordination is taking place for a disaster," Miozzo said. "It's important not to duplicate efforts, for example, to make sure that several countries don't send field hospitals to the exact same place."

Germany was flying in medical supplies, 500 blankets, 1,500 winter coats, clothing and other emergency shelter equipment, officials said. Berlin said it was making 500,000 euros available in emergency aid.

Britain, Poland, Jordan, Finland and Turkey, which has intensive experience in dealing with quake disasters, were sending rescuers and equipment including thermal imaging cameras to locate survivors under rubble.

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