Turkish leader slams 'propaganda' as quake deaths rise to 29

Source: AP

By ANDREW WILKS

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The death toll from a strong earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey climbed to 29 on Saturday night as rescue crews searched for people who remained trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, officials said.

Speaking at a televised news conference, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said earlier in the day that 18 people were killed in Elazig province, where Friday night’s quake was centered, and four in neighboring Malatya. The national disaster agency later updated the total with seven more casualties.

Some 1,243 people were injured, with 34 of them in intensive care but not in critical condition, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.

On Saturday afternoon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the hardest-hit areas and attended the funeral of a mother and son killed in the quake. He warned people against repeating “negative” hearsay about the country being unprepared for earthquakes.



Rescue workers carry a wounded man that was found alive in the rubble of a building destroyed on Friday's earthquake in Elazig, eastern Turkey, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. Rescue workers were continuing to search for people buried under the rubble of apartment blocks in Elazig and neighboring Malatya. Mosques, schools, sports halls and student dormitories were opened for hundreds who left their homes after the quake.(Depo Photos via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/3816203a993fca0db51a442a38469609