Turkey Earthquake: Search for Survivors Continues
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November 10, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Teams have rescued 23 people from the rubble of Wednesday’s earthquake. Efforts continue as minister says conditions are “getting worse”.
Eastern Turkey was hit with a magnitude 5.6 earthquake on Wednesday, leaving seven dead and dozens more missing. Rescue teams are continuing their search for people trapped underneath the rubble.
The quake hit at 21:23 (19:21 GMT), with its epicentre in the Edremit district, 16km (10 miles) south of Van.
According to reports, at least 25 buildings have been destroyed, including the six-storey Bayran Hotel.
Rescue teams have been deployed to the eastern region and have worked throughout the night using high-powered lights. Twenty-three people have been freed from the rubble so far but at least 100 remain missing.
Officials remain hopeful today, as some of those trapped inside the Bayran Hotel have been Tweeting and sending messages.
At least seven people have been confirmed dead by authorities, including Atsushi Miyazaki, a Japanese doctor who had travelled to the region in order aid victims of last month’s quake. Mr Miyazaki was staying at the Bayran Hotel, according to reports, and was pulled from the rubble on Wednesday night.
Turkey is situated on a major geographical fault line and is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. On October 23, the ancient city of Van suffered a magnitude 7.2 quake, leaving over 600 people dead.
Since last month, the country has experienced some 1,400 aftershocks, hindering rescue and recovery operations.
The 7.2 quake had a devastating impacted on the eastern region and forced the government to declare 3,700 buildings unfit for living.
Consequently, many homes and business were left empty on Wednesday.
With more buildings destroyed and declared unsafe, thousands of residents have been left homeless and are now residing in tents. A member of the Turkish parliament, Nazmir Gur, told the BBC that people were getting desperate.
“The current situation is getting worse as people need tents,” he said.
“As we heard from the governor and from the crisis centre,
unfortunately thee are only very few thousands of tents. As we took a tour of a neighbourhood this morning everyone was asking for a small tent to save their children and women.”
Elsewhere, schools in the region have now been closed until early December.
By Catherine Rees
[Image courtesy of United Nations Photo]
