Aftershocks follow Turkish earthquake

Last Updated: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:58:00 +1100

Eastern Turkey has been hit by more than 70 aftershocks following a powerful earthquake that killed more than 200 people.

Hundreds are missing and officials warn the death toll from the powerful 7.2 magnitude quake is expected to rise.

Soldiers and rescue teams are searching for people trapped under the rubble in Turkey's eastern Van region.

It is believed at least 90 buildings, including a dormitory, collapsed.

Residents are sleeping outside around campfires, fearing more aftershocks.

Torchlight

Rescuers have been working by torchlight, using their bare hands and shovels to dig through the rubble.

Australia's Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, said the government was considering how it can help the victims.

She said consular officials were also trying to discover if Australians are in the disaster zone. "As part of that, we will assess what we can do to assist," she said.

One man, Halil Celik, spoke as he stood beside the ruins of a building that collapsed before his eyes. "We heard cries and groaning from underneath the debris, we are waiting for the rescue teams to arrive," he said.

"All of a sudden, a quake tore down the building in front of me. All the bystanders, we all ran to the building and rescued two injured people from the ruins."

At another site, three teenagers were believed trapped under a collapsed building. People clambered over the shattered masonry, shouting: "Is there anyone there?"

An elderly rescue worker sat sobbing, his exhausted face covered in dust. Police tried to keep onlookers back. Ambulance crews sat waiting to help anyone dragged out of the debris.

Turkey's Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute said the earthquake struck at 10:41am (local time) on Sunday and was five kilometres deep.

"We estimate around 1,000 buildings are damaged and our estimate is for hundreds of lives lost, It could be 500 or 1,000," Kandilli Observatory general manager Mustafa Erdik told a news conference soon after the quake.

The quake was among the strongest in Turkish history, and the worst since 1999.

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