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Over 1,000 injured – At least 29 killed in Turkish earthquake

Anadolu reported that 72 buildings collapsed and nearly 1,000 others were damaged. Authorities believed Saturday that people were still buried under the rubble, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu. According to Afad, nearly 1,500 injuries were treated in hospitals.

Rescuers were able to recover 42 buried victims, as reported by the state broadcaster TRT. Dramatic recordings of the station showed dozens of rescuers working silently on the roof of a collapsed building in the 600,000-inhabitant city of Elazig. The rescue of an older woman was also shown in the pictures – and shocked eyewitnesses who gathered around the events. “My daughter is there too,” called the woman, pointing to the rubble from which she had just been pulled. Then she was taken away in an ambulance.

Local media also showed the rescue of a 45-year-old woman who had previously been contacted by the rescuers by cell phone under the rubble of a house. People standing around applauded, some with tears in their eyes, when the rescued was taken to an ambulance.

Rescuers listened to the debris for survivors with special sensors, excavators and sniffer dogs were also in use, said a rescuer. According to the TV station CNN Türk, there are at least two children among those saved. As the broadcaster TRT further reported, a pregnant woman was also released alive.

In the first night after the quake, temperatures of minus eight degrees Celsius would have made rescue work difficult, reported the civil protection. Local residents provided help and accommodation for those affected on social media. Many were afraid to return to their homes and told TRT on Saturday that they would spend the night outdoors.

A prison was damaged in the neighboring city of Adiyaman. The total of 814 inmates were to be placed in other detention centers in the region, the state news agency Anadolu said, citing the Ministry of Justice.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had canceled his appointments in Istanbul and had briefly traveled to Elazig on Saturday afternoon. “Our government does everything – and will do everything – in its power,” he said in front of assembled people. Erdogan also attended the funeral of a 45-year-old woman and her 10-year-old son. He promised that destroyed houses would be rebuilt quickly.

According to Anadolu, Erdogan had previously promised that all measures would be taken to ensure the safety of the people. In a tweet, he wished the wounded a speedy healing and the dead the grace of God. He also sent several ministers to the region, including Soylu and Koca.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences in a letter of condolence to Erdogan. “When I returned from Istanbul, I found out about the severe earthquake in the east of your country; it filled me with sadness and great regret,” wrote Merkel. It offered “active support” to Turkey.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense said that crisis agencies had been set up to support search and rescue missions. The military said it was ready if its help was needed. The civil protection agency reported that it had sent hundreds of helpers, tents, beds and blankets to the region.

Many people expressed dismay on social media, including EU foreign policy representative Josep Borrell and Turkish-born German soccer player Mesut Özil. “My prayers are with everyone affected by the earthquake in Turkey,” wrote the former German international on Twitter. Borrell expressed solidarity with the Turkish people and sympathy with the families of the victims.

Turkey is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. One of the most serious earthquakes was a 7.6 magnitude in 1999 with an epicenter in Gölcük southeast of Istanbul. At that time there were tens of thousands of injuries and deaths.

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