Death toll in Turkey's earthquake rises to 534

Death toll in Turkey's earthquake rises to 534

The death toll from a powerful earthquake that hit southeastern Turkey Sunday rose to 534 and the number of the injured to 2,300, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Administration (AFAD) said Thursday.

AFAD said that 185 people have been rescued from collapsed buildings since the quake.

The United Nations said Thursday that it has sent thousands of tents to Turkey for the homeless after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, following an appeal from Ankara for relief, Turkish Daily News reported.

Meanwhile, a 5.4-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey Thursday, the Kandilli Observatory said, four days after Sunday's earthquake killed 534 people in eastern Van province.

Thursday's quake hit the districts of Yuksekova and Hakkari, near the borders with Iraq and Iran, south of Van province. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged Wednesday at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) that his government had exhibited some failures in response to the earthquake on the first day, but he also criticized the media for accusing the government of being late in reaching out to quake victims.

"I admit that we failed in the beginning within the first 24 hours. But this is normal. This happens all around the world," Erdogan said, adding that the situation now is almost completely under control.

The 7.2-magnitude earthquake on 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.

Editor: Xiong Tong

English.news.cn   2011-10-27 20:08:31 FeedbackPrintRSS
ANKARA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua)