Turkey asks for help as death toll grows
Amid the recovery of hundreds of bodies in the quake-hit south-east of Turkey, there have been incredible stories of survival, giving hope to those whose loved ones remain trapped or missing.
On Tuesday, a baby, her mother and her grandmother were pulled alive from the rubble of their apartment block. The little girl was just two weeks old.
The father remains trapped, rescue officials said. His condition is unknown.
In a heart-breaking scene broadcast on national television in Turkey, a 9-year-old boy was rescued from the rubble of his apartment block and taken away for medical treatment.
Several hours later, he had returned to the site and was milling around the rescue zone. His family remains trapped. Their condition too is unknown.
Stories of survival have given hope to a nation hit Sunday by the worst earthquake in over a decade.
Sunday’s 7.2-magitude quake struck at 13:41 local time and was centered about 12 miles from the city of Van, the US Geological Survey said.
The official death toll jumped overnight to more than 450, with more than 1,350 people injured, but the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency is bracing for great loss of life.
Some 2,262 buildings in the region lie in ruins, the cities of Van and Ercis the hardest hit. The scale of the damage puts the search and rescue effort in context.
The Turkish government has more than 2,300 emergency personnel in the region, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said. That is around one emergency official to every collapsed building, most of which have people trapped inside.
Several army battalions have been deployed in the region to assist search and rescue teams, while the Turkish government has acknowledged that it needs outside help, after earlier indicating it would not.
On Wednesday, an Israeli plane carrying several portable housing structures will fly to eastern Turkey, the first of a number of flights accommodating a Turkish request for assistance. Rescue teams and relief materials from Iran and Azerbaijan have also been sent.
“The United Nations is in contact with the relevant authorities and stands ready to offer any assistance if requested,” Martin Nesirky, spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said.
Sunday’s earthquake is the worst in Turkey since 1999 when a 7.2-magnitude quake in Duzce killed 894 people. That same year, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, killed more than 17,000 people.
Source: Europe News.Net
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