BBC News Online: World: Europe

Quake team abandons hunt for survivor

They concluded that the signs of life they had detected earlier were false.

Hopes had been raised that someone might have survived under the rubble for 15 days - since the earthquake measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale devastated north-west Turkey.

It is known to have killed at least 14,000 people, many of them crushed as they slept in their apartment blocks. Thousands more are missing.

Sniffer dogs had detected signs of life in the remains of the five-storey building in the seaside town of Golcuk on Wednesday.

But after hours of searching and rumours that the survivor had used a mobile phone to alert authorities, the rescuers' listening devices turned up nothing.

Earlier a man had phoned Interstar Television to say the mobile phone number broadcast as the survivor's was his, and that he was on holiday elsewhere in Turkey.

The last survivor found was a toddler, who emerged from the remains of a building on 23 August.

Hole drilled in rubble

Dr Izzet Erdogan, on stand-by at the site, had said there was "a chance in a million" of finding anyone alive after such a long time.

"If there is a survivor, it will be a world record," he said.

Turkish and US rescue teams had tried to reach the basement floor using a jack-hammer to drill a hole through the rubble and twisted metal.

Most of the international search-and-rescue teams left Turkey last week, after giving up hope of finding anyone alive.

Parliament criticised

In another development, the Turkish president, Suleyman Demirel, has come under fire for vetoing an amnesty law at a time when attention is focused on dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake.

The controversial law would have released more than 20,000 prisoners from the country's overcrowded jails.

The law, which was passed by Parliament on Saturday, prompted a public outcry.

Critics said it would benefit thousands of murderers, policemen found guilty of torture, and bureaucrats sentenced for abuse of power.

Relevant Stories

Iraqi oil for quake victims (01 Sep 99 | Middle East)
Quake cities relocation plan (31 Aug 99 | Europe)
Anguish of earthquake survivors (29 Aug 99 | Europe)
A day in the life of quake victims (25 Aug 99 | Europe)
Turkey's rocky road to recovery (24 Aug 99 | The Economy)
The reasons for Turkey's seismic suffering (19 Aug 99 | Sci/Tech)

Internet Links

International Seismological Centre
USGS Earthquake Monitor
Plate Tectonics: The Cause of Earthquakes

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

In this section

Violence greets Clinton visit
Russian forces pound Grozny
EU fraud: a billion dollar bill
Next steps for peace
Cardinal may face loan-shark charges
Vodafone takeover battle heats up (From Business)
Trans-Turkish pipeline deal signed
French party seeks new leader
Jube tube debut
Athens riots for Clinton visit
UN envoy discusses Chechnya in Moscow
Solana new Western European Union chief
Moldova's PM-designate withdraws
Chechen government welcomes summit
In pictures: Clinton's violent welcome
Georgia protests over Russian 'attack'
UN chief: No Chechen 'catastrophe'
New arms control treaty for Europe
Mannesmann fights back (From Business)
EU fraud -- a billion-dollar bill
New moves in Spain's terror scandal
EU allows labelling of British beef
UN seeks more security in Chechnya
Athens riots for Clinton visit
Russia's media war over Chechnya
Homeless suffer as quake toll rises
Analysis: East-West relations must shift