About 22,000 persons may have died in the quake that hit Iran on December 26.
The epicenter was near Bam town in Kerman province in southeast Iran. The historic town has been razed to the ground.
The office of the governor of Kerman province, which bore the brunt, said the latest figure of those dead was arrived at after a meeting of rescue workers.
Earlier Report:
13,000 confirmed dead in Iran quake
