Turkey's media has led the unprecedented barrage of criticism in a country where the state has traditionally been seen as a provider.

Health Minister Osman Durmus has been the main target after he rejected foreign aid and made disparaging comments about foreigners in general.

The daily Radikal called him a "callous, ignorant racist", while another daily, Hurriyet, under the banner headline "Shut up", said he had been ordered by Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit to desist from making further public statements.

The liberal daily Milliyet reported that it had received about 100 e-mails criticising the health minister. "If the government wants to clear its name and the country of dirt, then it should ensure the minister resigns or sack him," the editorial said.

Under the headline "The Mentality That Destroyed Us", Milliyet also revealed that Red Crescent offices and clinics had closed over the weekend.

There has been praise for foreign rescue teams

It added that rescue work had been interrupted for several hours during a visit to the town of Cilimli by President Suleyman Demirel.

The press has also roundly condemned as outdated and unhygienic Red Crescent material used in tent cities to house those without shelter.

By contrast, the disaster has resulted in an unprecedented outpouring of affection and gratitude for foreign rescue workers.

Hurriyet's banner headline read: "Thanks to The World".

A full inside page, headlined "Friends Indeed", listed, country by country, the aid provided from abroad.

In the daily Cumhuriyet, Mustafa Ikiz, a retired teacher from quake-hit Golcuk, repeated what his neighbours had been saying: "If we had officials as efficient as these foreigners, or if these foreign aid people had arrived on the first day, thousands more people would be alive today."

Television channels showed emotional footage of rescue workers from Greece, Turkey's historical foe, weeping with joy after pulling a child alive from the debris of his home.

Even the pro-Islamic daily Zaman ran a front-page banner headline: "Earthquake Destroys Taboos".

Under a montage of photos of foreign rescue workers in action and expressions of thanks in eight languages, the newspaper said the rescue operation showed that "Turks do have other friends than Turks".

The papers have been criticised for negative coverage

The press also turned the spotlight on itself. An editorial in the English-language Turkish Daily News responded to government criticism of the "negative" media coverage.

"We agree that this is not the time for accusations and fruitless finger-pointing, but we also agree that the duty of the media is to display the serious deficiencies, with the hope that they are being corrected," the paper said.

"This is the time to heal wounds. The Turkish people have shown to the world it can cope with this crisis through self-sacrifice. The nation has rallied to help the quake victims with all its resources.