MAIN PAGE  WORLD    africa    americas    asianow    europe    middle east  U.S.  LOCAL  POLITICS  WEATHER  BUSINESS  SPORTS  TECHNOLOGY  NATURE  ENTERTAINMENT  BOOKS  TRAVEL  FOOD  HEALTH  STYLE  IN-DEPTH  custom news  Headline News brief  daily almanac  CNN networks  CNN programs  on-air transcripts  news quiz   CNN WEB SITES:  TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW  MORE SERVICES:  video on demand  video archive  audio on demand  news email services  free email accounts  desktop headlines  pointcast  DISCUSSION:  message boards  chat  feedback  SITE GUIDES:  help  contents  search  FASTER ACCESS:  europe  japan  WEB SERVICES: Keyword Title Author		International teams help dazed relatives search for survivors of Turkey quake  ALSO: U.S. Marines on way to Turkey to help quake victims International aid pours into Turkey after quake  GALLERIES: A country lies shattered The story of a rescue VIDEO CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports on rescue and relief efforts from Istanbul Windows Media 28K 80K Rula Amin looks at the plight of survivors Windows Media 28K 80K The night after the quake, the search for survivors continued while people were afraid to go back into their homes. CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports. (August 18) Windows Media 28K 80K Izmit, Turkey, was the hardest hit. CNN's Ben Wedeman is there. (August 18) Windows Media 28K 80K INTERACTIVE: Chronology of major earthquakes over the last 20 years  MESSAGE BOARD: Turkey Quake RELATED AUDIO Click here to listen to reactions on the earthquake in Turkey

August 19, 1999
Web posted at: 1:42 a.m. EDT (0542 GMT)

In this story: Refinery fire threatens to become 'new disaster' Papers blame contractors Help on the way, more needed RELATED STORIES, SITES

IZMIT, Turkey (CNN) -- Rescue officials said early Thursday that many of the dead were being left where they lay, as rescuers focused on finding anyone still alive in the rubble of homes, apartment houses and military barracks devastated by the earthquake in northwestern Turkey.

As thousands of quake victims camped out in streets and open-air parks, the rescue teams pressed on with their exhaustive search for survivors, moving block by block through stricken areas, looking for signs of life. But with relief resources stretched to their limits, many survivors were forced to dig by hand for buried relatives.

"I believe that there are many live people here, but as we (don't) have rescue dogs we cannot find out, and we are not mechanical machines that lift the ruins," said Golcuk resident Bulend Ertekan.

"There's no chance for them now," said one man in a group hacking at crumbling masonry with sledgehammers and axes. Beneath the rubble were eight people buried in their sleep when the 7.8-magnitude quake hit early Tuesday morning.

The death toll continued to rise by the hour as more debris was removed and contact with towns and villages isolated by quake damage was restored.

Government officials said more than 4,000 had been killed and 20,000 injured. Perhaps more than 10,000 were still missing, officials estimated.

Refinery fire threatens to become 'new disaster'

While rescuers frantically scraped through the debris, firefighters battled a raging fire at Turkey's largest oil refinery, at Izmit, near the epicenter of the quake. Aircraft dropped flame retardant on the blaze, which threatened to consume the entire facility. With no electricity, fire crews were unable to use pumps to draw water from the nearby Sea of Marmara.

Officials feared the blaze could engulf a field of 30 storage tanks filled with crude, touching off an environmental disaster. Nearby, other dangers loomed: A fertilizer plant with 8,000 tons of dangerous ammonia was at risk of catching fire.

"If the fire spreads ... it would be a new disaster for Izmit," said the industrial city's governor, Memduh Oguz.

The state-run oil plant provided more than a third of Turkey's retail and industrial grade fuel. Many of the factories in the quake zone -- which account for nearly 35 percent of Turkey's gross domestic product -- depend on the plant.

The blaze at Turkey's biggest oil refinery continues to burn into early Thursday in the town of Izmit

Papers blame contractors

The thousands of residents who camped outdoors feared their homes and apartment blocks could not withstand further seismic activity, should it come.

"No one wants to go home because of fear of the earthquakes," said Vural Altin in Izmit. "We feel safer outside."

Hundreds stood in line for hours waiting for a single loaf of bread. Rescue workers braved broken roads to distribute food and water, worried there would be an outbreak of disease.

Turkish newspapers blamed building contractors for the disaster, which crushed thousands in their beds as they slept. Shoddy workmanship and substandard materials, the papers said, were the culprits.

The best-selling daily Hurriyet called contractors "Murderers" in a banner headline, and said it had issued warnings about construction problems after previous earthquakes.

"Now the people who did not listen to these warnings are chiefly responsible for this disaster," the paper said.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit said that while the contractors clearly made some mistakes, they could not bear all the fault.

Ecevit said the collapse of buildings at the Golcuk naval base -- where 20 sailors were killed and another 200 were still trapped beneath the rubble -- could not be laid at the feet of building contractors.

"I am sure because of the meticulousness of the armed forces, those buildings were built very carefully," the prime minister said.

International governments and organizations were quick to offer Turkey help, both financially and with manpower. Rescue teams brought sniffer dogs to help sift through the destruction, and firefighting aircraft were on their way.

The United Nations pledged its support, and the European Union prepared to send 2 million euros ($2.11 million) in humanitarian aid.

Turkey pleaded for more help.

"We need more rescue teams, we need at least 250 teams, because that is the number of buildings that have been destroyed," said Sefa Sirmen, mayor of hard-hit Izmit.

In Golcuk, Mayor Ismail Baris said as many as 10,000 people may still be trapped.

Correspondents Ben Wedeman, Rula Amin and Jerrold Kessel, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.