Strong quake claims at least 22 lives in Turkey
ELAZIG, TURKEY: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in eastern Turkey reached 22 on Saturday, as rescuers searched for survivors trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The magnitude 6.8 quake late on Friday shook Elazig province, about 550km east of the capital Ankara, and was followed by more than 390 aftershocks, 14 of which had magnitudes over 4.
Eighteen people were killed in Elazig and four more in the neighbouring province of Malatya, said Turkey’s disaster and emergency authority (AFAD), adding 1,103 others were injured and in hospitals in the region. It said rescue efforts were underway at three different sites in Elazig.
Turkish broadcasters showed footage of rescuers pulling people out from under the debris, some around 17 hours after the quake.
Speaking in Elazig, interior minister Suleyman Soylu said an estimated 22 people were still trapped under debris. The AFAD later said 40 people had been rescued so far.
Speaking alongside Soylu, health minster Fahrettin Koca said 128 wounded people were receiving treatment and that 34 of those were in intensive care, but not in critical conditions. He said additional medical centres would be set up if necessary.
Rescue teams worked through the night with their hands, drills and mechanical diggers to remove bricks and plaster from collapsed buildings in Elazig, where the overnight temperature fell to minus 8 degrees Celsius.
State media said on Saturday Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan has cancelled his plans in Istanbul and would travel to Elazig.