Over 200 people were killed and over a thousand injured in an earthquake in the Van Province of Turkey, Interior Minister Naim Shahin said, Reuters reports.
At least 117 people died at Erjis. 100 died in Van. 1090 people requested medical aid.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived to Erjis and then Van, where he reported about 93 dead in Van and 45 in Eris.
Erdogan thanked for aid offers from Israel and Armenia. Over a dozen of states, including Russia, offered support.
The government fears that over a thousand people could be dead.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has expressed condolences to Turkish President Abdullah Gul and the Turkish people over the earthquake. Medvedev offered Gul all the necessary support to clear the damage and ordered the Russian Emergencies Ministry to develop a plan for support.
The Russian Emergencies Ministry was mobilized. Two Il-76s are ready to take off with rescuers, dog specialists, psychologists, a mobile hospital and equipment, head of the information department of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Irina Andrianova, said.
Van saw a similar earthquake in 1976. Then, 3840 people were killed.
#Pray4Turkey was opened on Twitter after the earthquake to express social support for Turkey.
