Boy rescued after 108 hours under rubble

2011-10-28 18:48

Ercis - Rescuers on Friday pulled a 12-year-old boy from the rubble of Turkey's earthquake after he had lain trapped more than 100 hours.

The death toll in the disaster rose to 573.

The end of Ferhat Tokay's 108-hour ordeal gave fresh hope to rescue crews who have been working round the clock in sub-zero temperatures, while concerns deepened about the plight of survivors.

Hopes of finding more people alive in the rubble had been fading fast before the rescue of 18-year-old Imdat Padak late on Thursday, followed a few hours later by Ferhat's, both in the worst-hit town of Ercis where scores of buildings collapsed.

Television footage showed a rescue worker shading Ferhat's eyes as he was brought to the surface to protect him from the floodlights used by the emergency teams.

Both of the young survivors were rushed to a field hospital in Ercis and later airlifted by helicopter to nearby hospitals for further treatment, media reports said.

According to the latest update from the government's emergency service, 187 people have been pulled out alive from the debris.

The unit said that a total of 2 680 people had been injured by the 7.2 magnitude quake which ripped through the eastern Van province.

The quake, Turkey's worst in years, also killed a lot of livestock, one of the region's main sources of income.

Soldiers started to accompany aid trucks on Friday after locals and Turkish Red Crescent complained that supplies were looted.

- AFP