Death toll in Turkey earthquake rises to 432

Death toll in Turkey earthquake rises to 432

The death toll from Sunday's powerful earthquake in southeast Turkey has risen to 432 and the number of the injured to 1,352, the Turkish Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Administration said Tuesday.

A two-week-old baby was rescued from the rubbles in the Ercis district of Van province Tuesday, almost two days after the 7.2- magnitude earthquake, one of Turkey's most powerful quakes in a decade, local newspaper Today's Zaman reported on its website.

Hundreds of others are believed to be trapped under rubbles and rescue work is ongoing, Turkish NTV reported.

The earthquake, which occurred Sunday afternoon,led to the collapse of about 80 multi-storey buildings in Ercis, a town of 75, 000 people close to the Iranian border. The region is among Turkey ' s most earthquake-prone zones.

Turkey refused assistance from other countries,saying that foreign aid is not currently needed.

The Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said that 26 planes are carrying relief material, engineering vehicles and large quantities of aid material to the disaster-stricken area. Over 3,000 search and rescue personnel, 355 engineering vehicles and more than 100 ambulances have been dispatched to the region.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

English.news.cn   2011-10-25 22:51:41 FeedbackPrintRSS
ANKARA, Oct. 25 (Xinhua)