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Quake aftershocks pile on the agony

Turkey's main seismology institute says there were five aftershocks in the earthquake region on Sunday night, measuring between three and four on the Richter scale.

And there have been reports of damaged buildings collapsing after the fresh tremors, and many people in the towns of Duzce and Bolu have fled their homes.

The confirmed death toll has now reached 14,000, but estimates suggest another 30,000 bodies remain undiscovered.

Hundreds of thousands of people are still sleeping out of doors, in organised tent cities or in makeshift shelters.

Many traumatised children still barely understand what happened to them.

Psychologists who study pictures they draw say many children still cry constantly and are unable to sleep.

And even when the aftershocks are not particularly powerful, they can have a highly unsettling effect on traumatized survivors, reminding them of their initial terror which the earthquake struck.

Special medical teams trained in dealing with trauma are busy across the disaster zone.

And the psychological strain on survivors is increased for those unable to arrange funerals for their missing relatives.

Criticism of government

The government has been given extra powers to deal with the aftermath of the earthquake for the next three months.

But correspondents say it has been accused of taking advantage of the situation to pass controversial legislation in parliament, including a wide-ranging amnesty law which will free thousands of prisoners, among them police officers convicted of torture and civil servants sentenced for abuse of power.

Concern is also growing at the fate of the survivors as autumn approaches.

Turkish authorities have warned that the tens of thousands of homeless people will soon have to be moved from their makeshift tents into warmer shelters as autumn approaches.

"The weather is getting cold - how long can people live in tent cities? If you think of people's health, these tents have to be emptied," Health Ministry official Haluk Tokupcoglu told the Turkiye newspaper.

International community rallies round

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit has said his government is hoping for a special loan from the United States to help with reconstruction.

A World Bank delegation is visiting the earthquake zone to assess Turkey's needs in the wake of the earthquake.

The European Union is aiming to collect up to 30 million euros ($31m) to assist Turkey.

Even Turkey's traditional adversary Greece is sending officials to Turkey to plan an aid package. This was announced by Greek Foreign Minister Georges Papandreou on Sunday.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to send representatives to Turkey in September to assess the country's ability to stay solvent.

The IMF does not give emergency aid, but in urgent cases countries can apply to draw out up to 25% percent of their shares in the fund to help maintain their balance of payments.

Relevant Stories

No amnesty for Turkey's builders (28 Aug 99 | Europe)
Fund for traumatised quake children (28 Aug 99 | Europe)
Turkey tackles shoddy builders (27 Aug 99 | Europe)
In pictures: Life amid the rubble and rain (24 Aug 99 | Europe)
A day in the life of quake victims (25 Aug 99 | Europe)
Turkey's rocky road to recovery (24 Aug 99 | Europe)
Finding words for Turkey's plight (24 Aug 99 | From Our Own Correspondent)
Turkey media leads criticism (24 Aug 99 | Europe)
The tales of the earthquake survivors (23 Aug 99 | Europe)

Internet Links

Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Global Earthquake Report
Amnesty International: Turkey 1999
Human Rights Watch: Turkey 1999

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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