Another Earthquake in Turkey Kills At Least 7

Rescue workers have pulled out 24 survivors from the rubble of three buildings, collapsed by an earthquake in eastern Turkey, authorities said Thursday. At least seven were killed and dozens of others trapped, The Washington Post reports.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Wednesday’s quake toppled 25 buildings in the city of Van but only three of them were occupied since the others have been evacuated after suffering damages in last month’s powerful temblor. The magnitude-5.7 quake was a grim replay of the previous magnitude-7.2 earthquake that hit Oct. 23, killing more than 600 people.

Rescue workers speeded up their search for survivors by daylight on Thursday and pulled out a man out of the wreckage of a pancaked hotel, live NTV television broadcast showed. He became the 24th person to have survived alive so far. The man appeared to be in his 60s, NTV said.

The workers had used the glare of high-powered lights to work throughout the night despite several aftershocks.

Atalay said Thursday that the rescue work was concentrating at the site of two collapsed hotels and one apartment building. The disaster management authority said 23 survivors were pulled out along with the bodies of seven people.

One of the collapsed buildings was the Bayram Hotel, Van’s best-known hotel. It was at least 40 years old, and had been renovated last year.

Some of the guests were journalists who were covering the aftermath of the previous temblor, which left thousands homeless and led a number of countries to send tents, blankets and other supplies to assist Turkey in the aid effort.

The government dispatched hundreds of rescue teams from across the country aboard military and civilian planes, NTV television said. Schools in the region are closed until Dec. 5. Authorities said schools and hospitals will be closely inspected for damage.

The Turkish Red Crescent immediately dispatched 15,000 tents as well as some 300 rescue workers, the state-run TRT television said. There was no damage in the town of Edremit, the quake’s epicenter.

The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured 5.7 and that its epicenter was 16 kilometers (9 miles) south of Van. It struck at 9:23 pm (1923 GMT, 11:25 pm AMT).

About 1,400 aftershocks have rocked the region since the massive earthquake on Oct. 23, which killed more than 600 and left thousands homeless. Many residents had been living in tents, despite the cold, too afraid to return to their homes. At least 2,000 buildings were destroyed in the stronger temblor and authorities declared another 3,700 buildings unfit for living.