Turkey - A survivor of the earthquake measuring 7.2 magnitude has killed at least 239 people in eastern Turkey, was pulled from the rubble with three others on Monday after he managed to ask help on his cell phone. Dozens of people were trapped in the mountains of debris, but authorities offered the hope that the death toll cannot climb as high as initially feared.
Rescue teams searched throughout the night between the buildings crushed like family members waited outside, some crying. Cranes and other heavy equipment up the concrete slabs and residents searched for missing persons with shovels. Support groups were quick to set up tents, field hospitals and kitchens to help thousands left homeless or who were afraid to go back into their homes.
Yalcin Survivor Akay was unearthed in a collapse of 6 floors with a leg injury after he called a hotline phone the police and described its location, the state news agency Anatolia reported. Three others, including two children, were also rescued the same building in the city of Erciş about 20 hours after the quake, officials said.
Authorities said hundreds of mud houses in the villages and concrete buildings in two cities fell in the earthquake that struck near the border with Iran, on Sunday. Hardest hit was the city of Erciş, an eastern city of 75,000 near the border with Iran and Turkey, one of the most seismically active areas, where about 80 multistory buildings collapsed.
The bustling city, most of Van, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of ECRIS, also suffered considerable damage, but Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said search efforts were not over.
Sahin said he expected the death toll to rise Erciş, but not as substantially as initially feared.
"As rescue work progresses, there is the possibility of increasing Erciş death toll, but the figures are not likely that the number of fear," he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said that 239 people died in the quake, more than a thousand injured.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who inspected the area on Sunday night, said "nearly all" of mud brick houses in surrounding villages had collapsed in the earthquake that also rattle parts of Iran and Armenia.
In Erciş, a team that specializes in disaster recovery of the mine, worked through the rubble of a building that housed students.
"Four or five (apartments) have been stabilized" said team member Mustafa Bilgin. "College students are said to be living here. We do not know how many are still inside; we arrived at their computers, clothes, but did not see anyone inside. They can get caught in another department, as they sought to escape. "
Dozens of people crowded around the building and quietly watched the rescue efforts.
Women carried buckets to collect food from a soup kitchen, as frequent aftershocks rattled the city.
"We stayed all night in the open, I could not sleep at all, my children, especially small, I was terrified," said Serpil Bilici of his six-year-old daughter, Rabia. "He grabbed me and ran when the earthquake hit, we were all screaming."
Bilici, mother of five children aged between six and 16 years, said his house had only cracks but his family was too afraid to re-enter. She lost a relative in the earthquake.
A woman who lost her parents, sat on the floor feet from another building crumpled, sobbing as relatives tried to comfort her.
The powerful quake terrifying moments still haunted many.
"I was in the street and saw the buildings of influence," said Hasan Ceylan, 48, and squatted in front of the remains of their three businesses, including a supermarket and a veterinary clinic.
Abubeker Acar, 42, said he was taking tea with your friends over a coffee, which was leveled.
"I do not understand what was going on, the buildings around us, the coffee all down so quickly," Acar said, sitting in the rubble of a building. "For a while, I could not see anything - the whole world was covered with dust Then we heard screams and got anyone who could reach.".
The government said it would offer favorable long-term loans to help rebuild small businesses in the region.
Some prisoners escaped from a prison van after one of its walls collapsed. TRT television said about 150 prisoners had escaped, but a prison official said the number was much smaller and many returned later.
U.S. scientists More than 100 aftershocks recorded in eastern Turkey within 10 hours of the earthquake, one with a magnitude of 6.0.
The authorities advised people to stay away from damaged homes, warning that could collapse in aftershocks.
Many residents spent the night outdoors and bonfires lit, while the Red Crescent began setting up tents at a stadium. Others sought refuge with relatives in nearby villages.
Around 1275 rescue teams were sent to 38 provinces in the region, officials said, and troops were also helping search and rescue efforts.
Several countries offered help, but Erdogan said Turkey was able to cope at the moment. Azerbaijan, Iran and Bulgaria, however, sent aid, he said.
Among those who offered aid to Israel and Greece. Israel's offer came despite a rift in relations after 2010 the Israeli Navy raid against a flotilla of aid to Gaza that left nine dead Turks. Greece, which has a deep dispute with Turkey over the divided island of Cyprus, also offered to send a special rescue team to the earthquake.
Leaders from around the world expressed their condolences and offered assistance.
"We're shoulder to shoulder with our ally Turkey in these difficult times, and are willing to help," said U.S. President Barack Obama.
Israeli President Shimon Peres phoned Turkish President Abdullah Gul, to offer help.
"The actions of Israel in their pain," Peres said in a statement. "Israel stands ready to provide any assistance that may be required anywhere in Turkey, at any time."
Turkey is one of the world’s most active seismic and is crossed by numerous faults. In 1999, two earthquakes with a magnitude of more than 7 struck northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
More recently, an earthquake of magnitude 6.0 March 2010 killed 51 people in eastern Turkey, while in 2003, an earthquake of magnitude 6.4 killed 177 people in the southeastern city of Bingol.
Istanbul, the largest city with over 12 million people, is located in northwestern Turkey, near a major fault. Experts have warned that the construction of overcrowding and poor quality in Istanbul could kill tens of thousands, if a major earthquake struck there.
The combination of heavy, wet snow leaves and trees laden with wind gusts knocked down many power lines. At least three people were killed was assigned to the weather, and emergency was declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.
