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Video: Death toll soars after Turkey quake

  1. Transcript of: Death toll soars after Turkey quake

    NATALIE MORALES, anchor: Dozens of people are still trapped in the rubble this morning in eastern Turkey where a devastating 7.2 magnitude quake has killed hundreds so far. NBC 's Michelle Franzen is in Mus , Turkey , with more. Michelle , good morning.

    MICHELLE FRANZEN reporting: Well, good morning, Natalie . The earthquake struck in the Lake Van area closest to the Iranian border, but it was felt several hours away including here in Mus . The lake area is very remote and surrounded by mountains and also dotted with small villages and towns and the place where rescuers are now in a race against the clock and cold weather to find survivors. This morning, the frantic search for earthquake survivors intensified in southeast Turkey , and a dramatic rescue in hard-hit Ercis as a toddler is pulled from the rubble. Amateur video shows the terrifying moments when Sunday's major quake hit. So far throughout the region there are at least 200 deaths and more than a thousand injured. Hundreds are still unaccounted for, many believed to be still pinned beneath the rubble.

    Unidentified Man: The situation is really bad. Many of our friends and relatives are still trapped under the rubble. We haven't heard from any of them.

    FRANZEN: In Van , an ancient city of one million, the quake has already claimed the lives of 100 people and flattened dozens of buildings, including a university dormitory. Reports of victims calling for help were heard overnight, but rescue efforts were hampered by darkness and freezing temperatures. Using what equipment they had and digging with bare hands, workers moved chunks of concrete to reach victims, including this scared 10-year-old boy. Along with the desperate search for victims, thousands are seeking shelter. Aid workers have set up 4,000 tents in a nearby stadium in Ercis and food and blanket and other aid is pouring in from around the world. The last time a major quake hit Turkey was in 1999 , that's when two quakes hit the northwest region, killing 20,000 people. But rescuers are -- say they are hopeful, even after 24 hours since this quake first struck, that they will find more people alive and be able to pull them from the rubble. Natalie :

    MORALES: Michelle Franzen in Mus , Turkey . Thank you, Michelle .

Photos: November aftershock

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  1. Rescue workers carry earthquake survivor Mehmet Zengin to an ambulance after he was found in a collapsed building in Van, eastern Turkey, on Thursday, Nov. 10. Rescue workers searched for survivors under rubble in eastern Turkey after the second earthquake in three weeks. (Reuters) Back to slideshow navigation
  2. Rescue workers try to save people from a collapsed building after an earthquake in Van, eastern of Turkey on Nov. 10. (Ali Ihsan Ozturk / Andolu Agency via EPA) Back to slideshow navigation
  3. Rescue workers carry earthquake survivor Atsushi Miyazaki to an ambulance after he was found in a collapsed hotel in Van, eastern Turkey, on Nov. 10. (Anatolia via AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  4. Rescuers carry earthquake survivor Miyuki Konnai, from Japan, after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Van pm Nov. 10. Rescue workers pulled the Japanese woman, who was part of a rescue and relief team sent to Van from Japan after an earthquake hit the same area less than three weeks ago, to safety from the rubble of the collapsed Bayram Hotel early on Thursday. (Reuters TV) Back to slideshow navigation
  5. A survivor is assisted after an earthquake in Van on Wednesday, Nov. 9. (AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  6. Rescuers work to save people from a collapsed hotel after an earthquake in Van on Nov. 9. (Evrim Aydin / Anadolu Agency via EPA) Back to slideshow navigation
  7. A man runs toward a van crushed under a collapsed building in Van on Nov. 9. (Salih Zeki Fazlioglu / Anadolu Agency via EPA) Back to slideshow navigation
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