SITUATION
• The counted death toll is at 461 at the moment (as of 26 OCT 0900 hrs. CET). 1352 people have been injured, and 2262 buildings destroyed. (AFAD)
• AS of 25 OCT there has been 678 aftershocks, one measuring 5.7.
• 13,000 tents have been dispatched through the Turkish Red Crescent point to about 40,000-45,000 homeless people. 3000 units of temporary housing have been planned for creation within a month.
• 263,000TRY (around 146,000 USD) has been collected from donations so far. It has been suggested by the Prime Minister’s Emergency Management Department (Başbakanlık Afet ve Acil Durum Yönetimi Başkanlığının) that 3 million TRY (around 1.66 million USD) is required for initial emergency relief.
• The ministry of education announced on 24 OCT 2011 many schools in the area collapsed or have been seriously damaged. As no children were at school on Sunday, apart possibly those attending boarding schools a particularly high death toll may have been avoided.
• Electricity and telecommunications services have been disrupted in the city of Van and the nearby town of Erciş (Van). Damage to buildings has also occurred in parts of the neighboring Bitlis and Hakkari Provinces.
• The Turkish Government deployed Urban Search and Rescue Teams (USAR) and Emergency Medical Teams to the disaster affected area from 44 provinces and 37 different organizations by civilian and military airplanes.
• 200 technical staff are doing preliminary assessment of buildings.
• There is currently a total of 3,755 search and rescue staff, 860 medical personnel, 16 search dogs, 595 construction equipment and vehicles, including 140 ambulances, 7 rescue choppers, 33 generators and 95 portable toilets, 15,379 tents, 60 prefabricated houses, 50,583 blankets, 1120 food packages , 10064 food parcels, 36 mobile kitchens, 3,051 kitchen sets, 5,139 stoves, catalytic, 425 sleeping bag, 1 mobile oven and 13 tons of provisions distributed.
• The Turkish Ministry of Health has deployed 2 field hospitals in Van and Erciş.
• The Turkish government has agreed to accept offers of international aid to help it cope with the aftermath of the devastating October 23 earthquake in the southeast of the country. In Ankara, a Foreign Ministry official told Reuters that Turkey had requested prefabricated housing and tents from more than 30 countries, including Israel, with whom it has been in a diplomatic crisis.