39 dead in Turkey quake, rescuers searching for survivors

A total of 45 people were rescued from ruins, and search and rescue operations were still going on on Sunday.

The earthquake occurred at 20:55 local time in the province of Elazig at a depth of 6.75 km and was followed by 788 aftershocks, the AFAD said in an updated statement.

The analysis of a total of 1,521 construction works in both Elazig and the nearby province of Malatya by experts revealed that at least 76 buildings were fully wrecked, and 645 others were severely damaged, the AFAD added.

On Saturday evening, a two-year-old girl was rescued from a collapsed residential building in Elazig city 24 hours after the quake, and she was in good condition. Her mother was later rescued from the same house.

"We dug down from the collapsed building for four storeys. Upon hearing the voice of the trapped people , we began to clear rubble and dug a new channel in the direction of the voice. Then we found the little girl and her mother. The girl's father and another child had died. We saved the girl but the mother was in a serious situation. We cleared up the rubble around her and gave first aid to her. She was rescued after being trapped for 27 hours. Then we took the bodies of the father and the other child out," said Omer Ipek, a firefighter.

The residents of Elazig are now waiting anxiously by the quake hit sites, hoping to hear good news of rescued survivors.