ISTANBUL — The death toll from an earthquake that jolted eastern Turkey on Friday has risen to 29, as 42 people were rescued from ruins of collapsed buildings, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Saturday.
The earthquake occurred at 8:55 pm local time (1755 GMT) in the province of Elazig at a depth of 6.75 kilometers and was followed by 401 aftershocks, according to the AFAD.
The Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute has revised the magnitude of the tremor from 6.8 to 6.5 on the Richter scale.
At a statement posted on its website, the AFAD put the number of wounded people at 1,243, noting that search and rescue operations are going on in the debris of three buildings at the city center.
Turkish national broadcasters showed live footage of rescuers pulling a person out from the ruins 20 hours after the quake.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the treatments of 128 people have been continuing in hospitals, and 34 of them are in intensive care, but none in critical conditions.
Meanwhile, a total of 814 prisoners in a prison in the neighboring province of Adiyaman were transferred to other prisons in the region after severe damages were detected in the building.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, canceled his activities in Istanbul and traveled to Elazig.
He attended the funerals of a mother and son who lost their lives under the ruins of their collapsed building. Erdogan also visited some injured people at a hospital.
Various municipalities in Istanbul and several others across the country launched aid campaigns, announcing a list of the most needed items for the earthquake survivors through social media platforms.
