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Some Survivors Found in Bingol School

Aired May 01, 2003 - 14:14   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earthquake flattened 25 buildings today in the Turkish city of Bingol. Rescue workers are trying to save about 80 schoolchildren trapped in the rubble of a dormitory. At least 12 children are known dead among at least 85 people killed by the quake. Bingol is an underdeveloped city in southeastern Turkey. It has few high rise buildings, and very little industry, but residents have been warned to stay out of their homes until they're checked for damage.
Journalist Gokhan Eren is live at the scene. Mr. Eren, are you there?

GOKHAN EREN, JOURNALIST: Miles -- yes, Miles. The drama, the tragedy is continuing at the boarding school in Bingol, where I'm standing. If you could -- I'm just going to move away to show you the rubble here. I've just spent the last 20 minutes with rescue workers.

Rescue workers have told me that -- exactly at the position -- at the place where the bulk of rescue workers are trying to do their work at the moment, they have had contact with six students. Three of the students are believed to be still alive, with two of these students they've had actually real contact. They know the names of the two students that are still under the rubble. The third student they have not been able to speak to, but they have -- they have touched his hand. He has given slight response to the touch of one of the rescue workers. They don't know about the whereabouts of the remaining three students, but the six students that they have located, three of them are believed to be still alive.

In the past two hours, actually, two students did come out of this rubble alive, which caused jubilation with the rescue workers and, also, with -- I'm going to lower my voice right now because the rescue workers have -- have requested for silence at the moment.

They are trying to locate some of the students right now via delicate listening devices. We are hoping that three students are going to be coming out of here alive.

Meanwhile, while live students come out here, family members also rise -- the hopes rise with the family members who are still waiting at this area of disaster. For the past 45 minutes, they've been waiting anxiously, but meanwhile, they've been praying because they're starting to lose hope, and the rescue workers are getting really tired at the moment. But they seem to be continuing to work until the last student is brought out of this -- of this formerly -- school -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, Gokhan Eren, thank you very much. We appreciate that, and we'll allow the rescue workers to hear, perhaps, the faint noise of yet another survivor. Thanks very much for being with us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired May 1, 2003 - 14:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earthquake flattened 25 buildings today in the Turkish city of Bingol. Rescue workers are trying to save about 80 schoolchildren trapped in the rubble of a dormitory. At least 12 children are known dead among at least 85 people killed by the quake. Bingol is an underdeveloped city in southeastern Turkey. It has few high rise buildings, and very little industry, but residents have been warned to stay out of their homes until they're checked for damage.
Journalist Gokhan Eren is live at the scene. Mr. Eren, are you there?

GOKHAN EREN, JOURNALIST: Miles -- yes, Miles. The drama, the tragedy is continuing at the boarding school in Bingol, where I'm standing. If you could -- I'm just going to move away to show you the rubble here. I've just spent the last 20 minutes with rescue workers.

Rescue workers have told me that -- exactly at the position -- at the place where the bulk of rescue workers are trying to do their work at the moment, they have had contact with six students. Three of the students are believed to be still alive, with two of these students they've had actually real contact. They know the names of the two students that are still under the rubble. The third student they have not been able to speak to, but they have -- they have touched his hand. He has given slight response to the touch of one of the rescue workers. They don't know about the whereabouts of the remaining three students, but the six students that they have located, three of them are believed to be still alive.

In the past two hours, actually, two students did come out of this rubble alive, which caused jubilation with the rescue workers and, also, with -- I'm going to lower my voice right now because the rescue workers have -- have requested for silence at the moment.

They are trying to locate some of the students right now via delicate listening devices. We are hoping that three students are going to be coming out of here alive.

Meanwhile, while live students come out here, family members also rise -- the hopes rise with the family members who are still waiting at this area of disaster. For the past 45 minutes, they've been waiting anxiously, but meanwhile, they've been praying because they're starting to lose hope, and the rescue workers are getting really tired at the moment. But they seem to be continuing to work until the last student is brought out of this -- of this formerly -- school -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, Gokhan Eren, thank you very much. We appreciate that, and we'll allow the rescue workers to hear, perhaps, the faint noise of yet another survivor. Thanks very much for being with us.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com