KAYNASLI, Turkey -- Earthmovers pushed huge blocks of concrete from the remains of an apartment building Saturday as Turks frantically searched for survivors of a new earthquake that left at least 362 dead and 1,800 injured.
A pregnant woman and two men were pulled out alive from the rubble. But with hundreds of people still unaccounted for, there were fears the death toll could rise sharply.The magnitude-7.2 temblor flattened hundreds of buildings and reduced cars to twisted piles of wreckage. In Duzce, a farming town at the epicenter, the quake tore out the center of a turn-of-the-century mosque, leaving only the walls standing.
Turkey's government, which was severely criticized for its slow response to the Aug. 17 quake that left more than 17,000 people dead, emphasized that it was rushing aid to the recently stricken area.
"There is a minister in each town that has been hit, a rescue team on each site," said President Suleyman Demirel, who visited the area Saturday. "The army is working hard. All organizations are taking part in the help."
Soldiers arrived with painkillers and other medical supplies. Rescue teams used earthmovers and jackhammers to break apart the tangled wreckage of what were once homes.
"The destruction is severe," said Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit. "I hope that the wounds will be healed. . . . We are faced with a disaster."
The quake struck as Turkey prepared to host world leaders for a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The temblor rocked buildings in Istanbul, 90 miles to the west, where the world leaders are scheduled to convene, but Ecevit said the summit would not be canceled.
President Clinton was expected to arrive in Turkey on Sunday night. First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and their daughter, Chelsea, arrived in Ankara on Saturday.
"Our hearts go out to the families of the victims," Mrs. Clinton said in a statement. "As President Clinton has said, America stands ready to help in any way we can."
A government crisis center put the death toll at 362, the Anatolia news agency reported. Health Ministry Undersecretary Haluk Tokucoglu, speaking on state-run television, said nearly 1,800 people were injured.
International rescue teams rushed to Turkey from Greece, the United States, France, Germany and Italy. A U.S. team from Fairfax, Va., was expected to arrive before dawn Sunday.
Zekeriya Percin silently watched as rescuers tried to reach the charred bodies of his 73-year-old father Celal and 19 other men.
"An aftershock knocked over the stove and a fire engulfed the whole coffee house," he said.
Kaynasli, a wheat-growing town of 7,000 people, was one of the hardest hit towns in the region.
Fatma Demirci said four of her relatives were killed when her house collapsed during the earthquake.
"Kaynasli was set back 100 years," she said gazing at collapsed buildings and a shattered mosque.