Death toll in Turkish earthquake rises to 30 - UPDATE

The death toll in a powerful earthquake in southeastern Turkey rose to 30 on Saturday, the CNN Turk TV channel reported on Friday.

The 5.6-magnitude earthquake hit the Van province on November 9. It also left dozens injured and destroyed 25 buildings, including two hotels, RIA Novosti reported.

The death toll rose from 24 after bodies were pulled from the rubble of the collapsed four-storey hotel Bayram. CNN Turk said rescue workers had now completed their operation.

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11.11.2011

A death toll as a result of the earthquake in the Turkish province of Van increased to 17 - rescuers pull dead bodies of four people out of the rubble on Friday morning, the Sabah newspaper reported.

To date, 28 people were rescued, State Emergency Situations Department said.
An earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale jolted south-east Turkey on Wednesday evening.

The earthquake destroyed 25 buildings, including two hotels. No one lived in 22 buildings.
Most people died as a result of the collapse of a four-storey hotel "Bayram", where about 70 people, including representatives of the Turkish Red Cross Society and journalists stayed.

According to rescuers, about ten people, including two reporters of Turkish Dogan news agency can be under the rubble of the hotel. Rescue work continues.

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Five people died under the rubble of buildings destroyed by two new earthquakes in the eastern Turkish province of Van, 23 people were pulled from the rubble alive, CNN Turk TV channel reported Thursday morning.

Turkey's Interior Minister, Besir Atalay told reporters earlier that 25 buildings were destroyed as a result of the quakes, 22 of which were empty at the time. Search and rescue operations on the ruins of another three buildings are underway.

Two fresh earthquakes measuring 5.6 and 4.5 jolted Van province Wednesday night. Their epicenter was the town of Edremit.

According to the TV channel, the earthquakes destroyed some buildings in Van city that were already damaged by the earthquake of October 23, including a school and hotel. It is reported there are people under the ruins of the hotel, including journalists, who arrived in the region to cover the aftermath of the October 23 quake.

At the same time, DHA news agency reported that one person was killed and 50 people were injured as a result of the panic that occurred in the city of Van during the earthquake. People threw themselves from windows and balconies of the houses.