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Death toll rises in Turkey earthquake

The death toll from last week’s earthquake in Turkey rose to nearly 600 on Sunday, as rescue efforts wound down. More than 4,150 people have been injured in the 7.2-magnitude quake that rocked the eastern Van province.

Survivors in the village of Guvecli, Turkey
Survivors in the village of Guvecli, Turkey Reuters/Umit Bektas
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Search and rescue efforts ended in the city of Van, but continued at two locations in Ercis, which was the hardest hit by the quake.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay announced on Saturday that rescue work would stop overnight.

The last person found alive was 12-year-old Ferhat Tokay, who spent 108 hours trapped under the rubble of a building in Ercis.

However, a Turkish doctor told CNN-Turk television, “It is unlikely, barring some miracle, that anyone else will be found alive in the rubble in such cold weather.”

Prime Minister Atalay urged Turks to donate warm clothes to those now living in tents after their homes were destroyed. Tents and heaters are already in short supply.

Health officials in Ercis warned survivors against drinking tap water, as damage to the water network risk it being contaminated with sewage.

On Sunday, City Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar promised new housing in Van by September 2012 for those left homeless.
 

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