Turkey earthquake: More aid pledged to worst-hit areas

  • 10-25-2011

The Turkish government has pledged more aid to thousands of people affected by Sunday's deadly earthquake in the east.

Officials said 12,000 more tents would be delivered to the cities of Ercis and Van and also to nearby villages.

Ankara has been accused of failing to help some of the most needy, who spent the second night in freezing conditions without heating and tents.

At least 279 people are now known to have died and some 1,300 were injured after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

Rescue teams with sniffer dogs continued through the night to search for survivors under the rubble of hundreds of collapsed buildings.

Cranes and other heavy equipment have been lifting slabs of concrete, and many residents have been joining in the rescue effort, digging with shovels.

But hopes of finding more survivors are fading, with no-one being pulled alive in the last seven to eight hours, the BBC's Tim Willcox in Ercis reports.

In one building, our correspondent adds, there are fears that up to 50 are missing - buried under the rubble.

Turkish officials are now warning that the death toll is expected to rise further.

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Reproduced under licence from BBC News © 2011 BBC


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