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CNN Live Today
Earthquake Kills Dozens in Turkey
Aired May 01, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start in Turkey, where an earthquake has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, jarred southeastern Turkey in the middle of the night. Rescue efforts are now focused on a school dormitory that has collapsed, more than 100 people believed to be trapped inside.
For the latest now, let's go to journalist Gokhan Eren, who joins us live by telephone.
Gokhan, what's going on now?
GOKHAN EREN, JOURNALIST: Yes, I'm right now standing in front of the Silou (ph) boarding school, which is about 20 kilometers away from Bingol, the center of eastern turkey.
This region is actually almost the tragedy center of this earthquake, because there are hundreds of family members surrounding the school who are being prevented by soldiers from patrolling into this complex, because rescue workers is still continuing.
Since the morning hours, a troop of 113 people have been rescued or brought out of this complex.
Also, these 113 (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 60 were living when they were transported to the hospital, and total of seven dead. Officials say Ahmed Idine (ph), who is the assistant governor of the neighboring province to Bingol, who is in charge here right now, has reported to CNN that six students are suspected to be inside, and there are sounds coming -- voices coming to the rescue workers.
So they're hoping to get more lives out of this school. The school was originally three stories high. At the moment, I could tell you that I could only see one story. Only the top story is still existing. And the reason why so many students were able to be rescued alive is there are -- there were in the dormitory at this boarding school, there were metal drawers, metal closets, and these were aided to students to be rescued alive from this complex.
When it comes to the region as a whole, 87 people are reported to have lost their lives. Again, the assistant governor told us that, 87 bodies have been recovered from this earthquake. Over 400 wounded people have been sent to hospitals in the region outside Bingol, specifically (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Rescue work is continuing. A lot of the humanitarian aid stuff that was originally placed in this region for possible humanitarian difficulty in Iraq has been transported to this area. They are building mobile hospitals, ambulances are there, and rescue workers are quite well organized to the...
HARRIS: I'm sorry to cut you off there, but there's a lot of information you're giving us. I want to make sure our audience right now is able to grasp everything. As we look at these pictures, the pictures look as if most of that time, Bingol, has been devastated, if not totally destroyed.
Can you give our audience one more time an idea of how many people you believe may still be trapped inside this pile of rubble inside the school, how many children are in there? And in any way, can you tell if they're all alive right now?
EREN: OK, there are a total of 199 students and three teachers inside the school before the earthquake.
The three teachers have been brought out. One of the teachers has lost his life on the way to the hospital. A total of 103 people, including the three teachers that I just mentioned, have been brought out of the school. Out of these 103 people, seven have lost their lives, which means a total of 106 students -- 104 students and two teachers have been brought out of the school alive. Ahmed Izen (ph), who is the assistant governor, who is officially in charge at this complex, at the school at the moment, is saying there are 86 students still trapped inside, and he expects that some of them are still alive, and if the rescue work continues successfully, that more students will be rescued out of the school alive.
COSTELLO: OK, we sure do hope that situation does get straightened out fairly soon and as many people as can be will be saved.
Thank you, Gokhan Eren, reporting live for us on the phone from Bingol, Turkey, the site of some incredible earthquake devastation there.
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Aired May 1, 2003 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to start in Turkey, where an earthquake has killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4, jarred southeastern Turkey in the middle of the night. Rescue efforts are now focused on a school dormitory that has collapsed, more than 100 people believed to be trapped inside.
For the latest now, let's go to journalist Gokhan Eren, who joins us live by telephone.
Gokhan, what's going on now?
GOKHAN EREN, JOURNALIST: Yes, I'm right now standing in front of the Silou (ph) boarding school, which is about 20 kilometers away from Bingol, the center of eastern turkey.
This region is actually almost the tragedy center of this earthquake, because there are hundreds of family members surrounding the school who are being prevented by soldiers from patrolling into this complex, because rescue workers is still continuing.
Since the morning hours, a troop of 113 people have been rescued or brought out of this complex.
Also, these 113 (UNINTELLIGIBLE) 60 were living when they were transported to the hospital, and total of seven dead. Officials say Ahmed Idine (ph), who is the assistant governor of the neighboring province to Bingol, who is in charge here right now, has reported to CNN that six students are suspected to be inside, and there are sounds coming -- voices coming to the rescue workers.
So they're hoping to get more lives out of this school. The school was originally three stories high. At the moment, I could tell you that I could only see one story. Only the top story is still existing. And the reason why so many students were able to be rescued alive is there are -- there were in the dormitory at this boarding school, there were metal drawers, metal closets, and these were aided to students to be rescued alive from this complex.
When it comes to the region as a whole, 87 people are reported to have lost their lives. Again, the assistant governor told us that, 87 bodies have been recovered from this earthquake. Over 400 wounded people have been sent to hospitals in the region outside Bingol, specifically (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Rescue work is continuing. A lot of the humanitarian aid stuff that was originally placed in this region for possible humanitarian difficulty in Iraq has been transported to this area. They are building mobile hospitals, ambulances are there, and rescue workers are quite well organized to the...
HARRIS: I'm sorry to cut you off there, but there's a lot of information you're giving us. I want to make sure our audience right now is able to grasp everything. As we look at these pictures, the pictures look as if most of that time, Bingol, has been devastated, if not totally destroyed.
Can you give our audience one more time an idea of how many people you believe may still be trapped inside this pile of rubble inside the school, how many children are in there? And in any way, can you tell if they're all alive right now?
EREN: OK, there are a total of 199 students and three teachers inside the school before the earthquake.
The three teachers have been brought out. One of the teachers has lost his life on the way to the hospital. A total of 103 people, including the three teachers that I just mentioned, have been brought out of the school. Out of these 103 people, seven have lost their lives, which means a total of 106 students -- 104 students and two teachers have been brought out of the school alive. Ahmed Izen (ph), who is the assistant governor, who is officially in charge at this complex, at the school at the moment, is saying there are 86 students still trapped inside, and he expects that some of them are still alive, and if the rescue work continues successfully, that more students will be rescued out of the school alive.
COSTELLO: OK, we sure do hope that situation does get straightened out fairly soon and as many people as can be will be saved.
Thank you, Gokhan Eren, reporting live for us on the phone from Bingol, Turkey, the site of some incredible earthquake devastation there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
