Local weather conditions, which are known to affect survival time among people trapped in collapsed buildings after an earthquake, have a major influence on the percentage of those injured who subsequently die before they can be rescued. For example, the harsh winter conditions that were present during the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, which killed an estimated 25,000 people, decreased the ability of those trapped to survive even if their original injuries were minor. Some of the people who could otherwise have been rescued may have perished because of the intense cold in the mountainous region.