Saturday 29 October 2011

Earthquake in Turkey: Boy Rescued after 108 Hours, the Homeless in the Snow

Rain and snow worsen the situation of homeless people since the earthquake in eastern Turkey whose record is now 576 dead, but of miracles still happen, like a boy rescued after 108 hours .
Boy Rescued after 108 Hours
Teams of rescuers extracted from the rubble a 12 year old boy in the night from Thursday to Friday Ercis, the city most devastated by the earthquake of magnitude 7.2 occurred Sunday in the province of Van, has announced the Anatolia news agency.
Ferhat Tokay was stuck under the rubble of a building that collapsed in this city of 75,000 inhabitants.
In total, 187 people were removed alive from the rubble by rescuers after the disaster, which was 576 dead and 2,608 wounded, according to a new official count provided Friday.
A few hours earlier, was Aydin Palak, a student of 18, which had been extracted from the rubble of a building in Ercis.
The first snowfall Thursday morning and saved in the freezing cold at night exacerbate the situation for residents and rescue workers.
Rainfall slow relief and are at risk of hypothermia for people who are still under the rubble.
Bulldozers and other equipment demolition began Thursday in Van, the regional capital, the work of clearing, putting an end to the hopes of rescue in this new city.
A Ercis, dozens of rescue workers were still hard at work.
Thousands of cattle, one of the main sources of income of the local population, perished in the earthquake, before the Muslim festival of sacrifice, which begins November 6 in Turkey.
The Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker has promised compensation to farmers.
Residents were again formed early Friday long queues at the sub-prefecture of Ercis. For now, around 25,000 tents have been sent to the region.
Soldiers began to accompany the trucks to help, after the sacking of several vehicles of the Turkish Red Crescent by angry survivors consider themselves left to their own.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Friday the cancellation of the festivities planned as part of the celebration of National Day Saturday, commemorating the founding of the Turkish Republic, October 29, 1923. He criticized the lack of controls, leading to the construction of buildings "poor quality".
"The Van earthquake reminded us that our country is prone to earthquakes, it has also shown that the destruction caused by the negligence and irresponsibility," said the head of the Turkish state.
The earthquake also disrupted the lives already difficult for asylum seekers, mostly Asian.
"No father, no brother (...) Only three sisters and a mother," said Foziye Muhammed, an Afghan girl, who found refuge in a tent with the rest of his family.
"Turkey is a beautiful country, more beautiful than Afghanistan. But after the earthquake, it is so difficult to live here," she added.
To cope with the consequences of the disaster, Turkey has accepted offers of Wednesday d'aide a dozen countries, including Israel and Armenia, two countries with which it has a strained relationship.
"We are grateful for all these aids," said Friday told AFP the spokesman of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Selçuk Ünal, who however said that this spirit of solidarity of the countries with which Ankara is cold should not change Turkish policy towards them.

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