文章基本信息

标题：Rescuers race to find quake survivors
作者：SELCAN HACAOGLU AP
期刊名称：The Topeka Capital-Journal
印刷版ISSN：1067-1994
出版年度：1999
卷号：Nov 14, 1999
出版社：Morris Multimedia, Inc.

Rescuers race to find quake survivors

SELCAN HACAOGLU AP

By SELCAN HACAOGLU

The Associated Press

KAYNASLI, Turkey --- Earthmovers pushed huge blocks of cement from the remains of an apartment building Saturday as Turks frantically searched for survivors of a new earthquake that left at least 362 dead and 1,800 injured.

A pregnant woman and two men were pulled out alive from the rubble. But with hundreds of people still unaccounted for, there were fears the death toll could rise sharply.

The magnitude-7.2 temblor flattened hundreds of buildings and reduced cars to twisted piles of wreckage. In Duzce, a farming town at the epicenter, the quake tore out the center of a turn-of-the- century mosque, leaving only the walls standing.

Turkey's government, which was severely criticized for its slow response to the Aug. 17 quake that left more than 17,000 people dead, emphasized that it was rushing aid to the recently stricken area.

"There is a minister in each town that has been hit, a rescue team on each site," said President Suleyman Demirel, who visited the area Saturday. "The army is working hard. All organizations are taking part in the help."

Soldiers arrived with painkillers and other medical supplies. Rescue teams used earthmovers and jackhammers to break apart the tangled wreckage of what were once homes.

The quake struck as Turkey prepared to host world leaders for a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The temblor rocked buildings in Istanbul, 90 miles to the west, where the world leaders are scheduled to convene, but Ecevit said the summit wouldn't be canceled.

President Clinton was expected to arrive in Turkey tonight. First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, arrived in Ankara on Saturday.

A government crisis center put the death toll at 362, the Anatolia news agency reported. Health Ministry Undersecretary Haluk Tokucoglu, speaking on state-run television, said nearly 1,800 people were injured.