Miracle rescue amid rising death toll of Turkish quake
As the number of deaths in the Turkish earthquake rises to 432, three members of the same family are pulled from the rubble in a “miracle” rescue.
More than 1,300 others were injured in the 7.2-magnitude quake in south east Turkey at the weekend.
But in a glimmer of hope amid the horror, a two-week-old baby girl, her mother and grandmother have been pulled alive from a block of flats in Ercis in what the girl’s uncle described as a “miracle”. Senol Yigit said: “I’m so happy. What can I say? We have been waiting for two days. We had lost hope when we first saw the building.”
The mother, Semiha Karaduman, was clutching baby Azra to her chest when they were reached by rescuers.
Thousands of people slept for a second night in crowded tents and cars, or huddled around fires, in Van province, near the Iranian border.
If the government doesn’t give a hand to Van, it will be like Afghanistan. Kemal Balci, earthquake victim
The government said it was sending more tents, sleeping bags, blankets and food after being accused of being too slow to deliver aid to a region dominated by Kurds.
“We have no tents, everybody is living outdoors. Van has collapsed psychologically. Life has stopped. Tens of thousands are on the streets. Everybody is in panic,” said Kemal Balci.
“Aid has been arriving late. Van has been reduced to zero. We have no jobs, no bread, no water and there are nine members in my family. If the government doesn’t give a hand to Van, it will be like Afghanistan. Van has been pushed back 100 years.”
Kurdish insurgency
Analysts said Ankara’s speed in delivering aid to survivors could have political consequences for the government in a region plagued by poverty and the Kurdish insurgency.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, who secured a third consecutive term with a strong majority in June, has promised to rewrite the constitution to address Kurdish grievances.
The government has received offers of aid from dozens of countries, including former ally Israel, but has so far accepted relief from Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Iran.