Rescue teams in Turkey are continuing to search for people trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake hit the eastern Van region yesterday.
Some 265 people died and 1 140 were injured in the 7.2 magnitude quake, according to Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin.
Nearly 1 000 buildings have been destroyed in the disaster zone, with the town of Ercis the worst hit.
The death toll is expected to rise as outlying areas are reached.
Rescuers pulled out several survivors from beneath the ruins of collapsed buildings in Ercis today – including one man who called for help on his mobile phone, Anatolia news agency said.
Cranes and heavy equipment are lifting slabs of concrete in Ercis and the larger city of Van as rescue crews cut through steel reinforcing bars and shift rubble in the search for more survivors.
The interior minister said he believed dozens of people were trapped in buildings in Ercis but not as many as initially feared.
