Rush to save Turkey quake victims

Rescuers were frantically searching for survivors in the flattened Turkish city of Ercis today.

More than 200 people have been confirmed dead and 1,300 injured after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake caused dozens of high-rise buildings to collapse.

But rescue teams were given fresh hope as one man was pulled from the rubble after calling for help on his mobile phone. A 13-year-old boy was also freed from the wreckage.

Aid agencies have started to arrive in the eastern city, close to the border with Iran, and Foreign Secretary William Hague has offered British help.

Mr Hague said: "I send my deepest condolences to the friends and loved ones of those who have died or been affected.

"The UK is ready to provide assistance, in line with any request from the Turkish authorities. We stand with Turkey at this difficult time." Today Yalcin Akay was rescued from a collapsed six-storey building with a leg injury after he called a police hotline on his phone and described his location. But many more dead bodies were being pulled from the rubble with the official death toll from yesterday's quake reaching 239. Experts predict the final number could hit 1,000.

Teams searched throughout the night as relatives waited for news, many in tears. Cranes lifted slabs of concrete and volunteers searched with shovels.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said an unknown number of people were unaccounted for and he feared the worst for villagers living in outlying rural areas, who had yet to be reached.

"Because the buildings are made of adobe, they are more vulnerable to quakes. I must say that almost all buildings in such villages are destroyed."