Turkey: Death toll from earthquake rises to 92

ANKARA

The death toll in Turkey from a powerful earthquake in the Aegean region has risen to 92, the country’s disaster agency said Monday.

Some 1,323 aftershocks have hit the area since the Friday quake, with 43 of them above magnitude 4.0, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said.

It added that 994 people were injured, with 847 of them discharged from hospitals and 147 still being treated.

Speaking at a news conference Monday in the Aegean Izmir province, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum updated the number of heavily damaged and destroyed buildings to 58.

With quake victims facing cold weather, Kurum called on them to seek shelter at local guesthouses.

"We began the process for setting up a container city. We will establish a container city with a capacity to host 1,000 people on an area of 46,300 square meters [498,000 square feet] in the Bayrakli district," he added.

On Friday, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, with a population of some 4.37 million.

More aid coming

Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra Zumrut Selcuk also urged quake victims to take shelter at public guesthouses, which she said have a capacity of 7,000, which can be increased if needed.

She added that 5 million Turkish liras (some $595,000) in additional aid is being added to 5 million Turkish liras sent to the region on Friday by her ministry.

So far, 1,864 tents have been installed, with 2,038 currently being set up.

Temporary accommodations have been established to meet the urgent need for shelter in the city, with over 3,500 tents, some 24,400 blankets, 13,300 beds, 5,500 sleeping sets, 2,600 kitchen sets, and four showers and toilet containers shipped to the area, the disaster agency said.

So far, over 105 people have been pulled from the debris as search and rescue efforts continue.

Elif Perincek, a three-year-old girl, was pulled from debris in Bayrakli on Monday nearly 65 hours after the quake.

Idil Sirin, a 14-year-old girl, was also recovered from the rubble 58 hours after the tremor and taken to a local hospital.

Turkey, situated on several active fault lines, is among the world's most seismically active zones. It has suffered devastating earthquakes in previous years, including the 1999 Marmara quake.