Temblor shakes quake-stricken eastern Turkey

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Van is still reeling from two devastating earthquakesThere were no immediate reports of casualties from the latest quakeMuch of Van feels like a ghost town

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) -- A 5.2-magnitude temblor shook the earthquake stricken eastern Turkish region of Van shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

It followed a 7.2-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 600 people in the region last month, and a subsequent 5.6-magnitude earthquake last week which killed at least 40 people.

An official with the natural disaster and emergency coordination directorate in Van told CNN so far, there had been no casualties as a result of Tuesday's pre-dawn tremors. The official, who said he was not authorized to be have his name published in the media, said that one building in the center of the city collapsed.

The earthquake clearly sparked fear throughout an already traumatized population.

"It was horrible. It woke me up. My brother was screaming. I didn't know what was going on," said Gulay Daglar.

Like many other residents of Van, she had been living in a tent outside her family's house, fearing its possible collapse due to aftershocks.

"We're afraid to go back into our homes," said Sefa Yildizbasi, a government worker in Van. "They call them aftershocks but it's not like that. It's like a nuclear bomb went off underneath us."

Much of Van feels like a ghost town. Many residents have fled the region.

Those who remain live for the most part in government-distributed tents or makeshift shelters in the streets.

Miserable conditions deteriorated on Friday when a blizzard blew through the mountainous region.

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Turkey suicide bomb attack kills 3, injures 20

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Suicide bomber kills two in TurkeyA female suicide bomber killed two other people and herself, reports sayAt least 20 people were hurt in the attackBingol province is in eastern Turkey

Istanbul (CNN) -- A female suicide bomber killed two people and herself in an attack Saturday in Turkey's eastern Bingol province, the Turkish state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

Bingol Governor Mustafa Hakan Guvencer said 20 people were also hurt when the woman detonated her explosives in the town of Bingol, the agency said.

He told the agency that one of the two victims killed was a woman.

Turkish Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said the injured were being treated in hospital.

Turkey has suffered a number of violent incidents in recent weeks.

An attack 10 days ago in the country's southeastern Hakkari province, blamed on Kurdish separatists, left 24 soldiers dead and 18 injured.

Last month, at least three people were killed by an explosion in the heart of the Turkish capital, Ankara. A Kurdish rebel splinter group later claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Hopes fade for Turkey quake survivors

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Almost a week after a 7.2 magnitude quake hit Ercis in Turkey, authorities say the death toll has risen to 582.NEW: 231 people have been rescued alive, Turkey's deputy prime minister saysThe death toll rises to 582 after last Sunday's quake, a crisis center saysMost of the casualties were in the town of Ercis in eastern Van provinceThe United States and China are sending aid to the survivors

Istanbul (CNN) -- The number killed in a huge earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey last weekend climbed to 582 Saturday, Turkish state-run Anatolia news agency said, as the government drew up a new law that would move homes from high-risk areas.

The tally of those injured in last Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake rose to 4,152, according to a crisis center in the eastern province of Van, Anatolia reported.

The center said 455 of the deaths had occurred in the town of Ercis, where rescue efforts have continued all week.

Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Saturday 231 people have been found alive in the wreckage, Anatolia reported, despite temperatures dropping close to freezing at night.

Atalay said 84 buildings had collapsed in Ercis and six in the city of Van. Search efforts will continue at four apartment buildings in Ercis until the end of the day, the agency quoted him as saying.

Two teenagers were pulled alive out of the rubble of apartment buildings late Thursday and early Friday, more than 100 hours after the quake.

Relief crews have distributed 40,721 tents -- including 6,088 from abroad -- and 159,360 blankets to survivors, authorities said. A total of 1,309 aftershock quakes have occurred since Sunday's main temblor, officials said.

Turkey's government plans to present a new law to parliament by the end of December which would see the evacuation of settlements in areas at high risk of natural disaster, Anatolia reported.

Laws governing construction and property management would also be revised under the so-called Urban Transformation Law, the agency said.

The United States and China are the latest countries to offer help to Turkey's quake survivors.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the U.S. European Command to provide humanitarian relief supplies including blankets, cots, sleeping bags and hygiene kits, the Pentagon said Friday.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is to send $1 million to Turkey and the Red Cross Society of China has donated $50,000, Xinhua quoted a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman as saying.

CNN's Sarah Jones and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

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One week on, Turkey quake toll rises

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Rescue workers carry the body of a victim in Ercis, Turkey, on Thursday, after an earthquake shook the area.More than 4,100 people were injured in the quake last SundayThe town of Ercis was hard-hitMore than 230 people have been pulled alive from the rubble

Istanbul (CNN) -- The death toll from an earthquake that struck eastern Turkey a week ago was at 601 as of Sunday, the Turkish state-run Anatolia news agency reported.

More than 4,100 people were injured in last Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake, which struck Turkey's Van province.

At least 455 people died in the town of Ercis, where rescue efforts have been under way throughout the week, a crisis center in Van province reported Saturday.

However, some 231 people have been found alive in the rubble, despite temperatures nearing the freezing mark at night, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said Saturday, according to Anatolia. Two teenagers were pulled out of the rubble alive late Thursday and early Friday, more than 100 hours after the quake.

Eighty-four buildings have collapsed in Ercis and six more in the city of Van, Atalay said.

Relief crews have distributed 40,721 tents -- including 6,088 from abroad -- and 159,360 blankets to survivors, authorities said. A total of 1,309 aftershock quakes have occurred since Sunday's main temblor, officials said.

Turkey's government plans to present a new law to parliament by the end of December which would see the evacuation of settlements in areas at high risk of natural disaster, Anatolia reported.

Laws governing construction and property management would also be revised under the so-called Urban Transformation Law, the agency said.

The United States and China are the latest countries to offer help to Turkey's quake survivors.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the U.S. European Command to provide humanitarian relief supplies including blankets, cots, sleeping bags and hygiene kits, the Pentagon said Friday.

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Death toll passes 430 in Turkey quake

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Baby rescued from earthquake rubbleNEW: The death toll jumps to 459 NEW: Israel says it will send an assistance flight on WednesdayTwo-week-old Azra Karaduman, her mother, and her paternal grandmother were rescued 4 corpses are pulled from the rubble of the same building Find out how you can help those devastated by the earthquake in Turkey; visit our Impact Your World page at CNN.com/IMPACT.

Ercis, Turkey (CNN) -- In a dramatic rescue that gave hope to those praying for the survival of their loved ones, rescuers in eastern Turkey pulled a baby, her mother and her grandmother alive from the rubble Tuesday, two days after a devastating earthquake.

Dramatic video showed tiny Azra Karaduman being carried by rescuers to a vehicle that would take her to the hospital. They were holding a mask over her mouth to help give her oxygen.

Later, rescuers pulled the girl's mother and paternal grandmother alive from the rubble as well.

Officials said the 2-week-old girl's father remained trapped somewhere under the debris of the multiple-story building.

Over several hours, four corpses were pulled from the rubble of the same building, officials said. At least one of them was male. Officials did not say immediately whether one of the bodies was the baby's father.

The official death toll jumped to 459 Tuesday, with another 1,352 people injured, the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency said.

Teams of rescuers throughout the poor region struck by Sunday's 7.2-magnitude quake are searching for survivors around the clock.

Reaching Azra -- who, according to her maternal grandmother, was born three weeks prematurely -- was particularly difficult, rescuers told CNN.

The baby's mother managed to make contact with rescuers and get the baby to them through a narrow passage, a rescuer said.

Officials had to find a rescuer thin enough to fit into the crevice to get Azra. The rescuer told CNN it was the first time he had ever pulled someone alive from earthquake rubble in 12 years of doing such work.

While rescuers worked to get to the mother and grandmother, they managed to supply the two women with oxygen, officials said.

"It was hard to rescue them" because of the tight space, said rescue worker Tansu Bayram. "It was so difficult."

Some 2,262 buildings in the region lie in ruins.

The military is assisting rescue workers, who are using heavy machinery, shovels, and their bare hands.

Numerous aftershocks -- the largest a magnitude 6.0 -- have rattled the area, which is one of the poorest in Turkey. One on Tuesday measured 5.7, and was 7 km (4.3 miles) deep.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 55 buildings collapsed in Ercis on the north shore of Lake Van. The Turkish Red Crescent said about 25 apartment buildings and a student dormitory also collapsed in the town.

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A health services building also collapsed, along with part of a hospital, CNN sister network CNN Turk reported. The injured were being treated in the hospital's garden.

"People are really scared," CNN Turk reporter Nevsin Mengu said from Van on Monday. "The survivors are now trying to survive the cold weather."

Rescuers and survivors contended with near-freezing temperatures. Some people collected wood from collapsed buildings to burn for warmth, Mengu said.

She said many residents are not returning to their houses, opting instead to sleep on rooftops or in the streets. It was not clear whether their homes were uninhabitable or if they were just too frightened.

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The Red Crescent called for rescue workers, machinery and drinking water. A crisis center was set up by the country's Health Ministry in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

By Monday, more than 2,300 emergency personnel were in the region, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said. Tents and rescue teams have come from as far away as Iran and Azerbaijan.

Israel's Ministry of Defense said that on Wednesday, a plane with several portable housing structures will fly to eastern Turkey, the first of a number of flights accommodating a Turkish request for assistance. It will be a civilian plane rented by the Israeli government, the ministry said.

"The United Nations is in contact with the relevant authorities and stands ready to offer any assistance if requested," Martin Nesirky, spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said Monday.

Turkey is "no stranger to having these seismic events," but Sunday's quake is considered major, CNN Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf said.

A magnitude-7.6 earthquake in Izmit, Turkey, killed more than 17,000 people in 1999, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A magnitude-7.2 tremor in Duzce the same year killed 894 people, the agency reported.

Sunday's quake struck at 1:41 p.m. local time and was centered about 12 miles from Van, the agency said.

CNN's Talia Kayali and Hande Atay contributed to this report.

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Multiple deaths feared in attack in Turkey

Multiple deaths in Turkey attackNEW: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blames the attack on Kurdish separatistsPrime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 24 soldiers died, 18 were hurtU.S. President Obama "strongly condemns" the attack on a close allyIt follows recent attacks claimed by Kurdish rebel groups

Istanbul (CNN) -- Twenty-four soldiers were killed and 18 injured during an attack early Wednesday morning in southeastern Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Rockets were launched at security forces and military sites in the town of Cukurca, in Hakkari province, an official with the provincial governor's office and Turkish President Abdullah Gul said.

Gul blamed terrorism when he spoke about the attack during a televised address.

"Our determination is certain. Those who think that democratic improvements in Turkey are achieved as a result of terrorism are making a big mistake," Gul said. "It is our decision to continue the struggle against terrorism without giving any concessions."

He warned that "those who inflict this pain on us will endure pain many times over" themselves.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blamed the attack on militants from a Kurdish separatist group, the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, as she gave her condolences to the families of those killed.

"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent attacks by the PKK in Turkey's Hakkari province," she said in a statement Wednesday.

"We will continue our strong cooperation with Turkey as we work to combat violent extremism in all its forms and safeguard the security of peace-loving people everywhere."

Erdogan said "wide-scale operations, including hot pursuit as defined by international law" were continuing in the region, as the military seeks those responsible.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, he said the "Turkish state will breathe down the neck of those who secretly or openly support or aid terrorism."

He added: "Turkey always played an active role in the international fight against terrorism and it expects also the international community and all countries to give support and active cooperation in combating terrorism."

Urging the country's people to show unity, he said the process could be lengthy but other countries had defeated terrorism in the end.

U.S. President Barack Obama also strongly condemned what he called "an outrageous terrorist attack against Turkey, one of our closest and strongest allies," in a statement released by the White House.

"The United States will continue our strong cooperation with the Turkish government as it works to defeat the terrorist threat from the PKK and to bring peace, stability and prosperity to all the people of southeast Turkey," Obama said.

"The people of Turkey, like people everywhere, deserve to live in peace, security and dignity."

The attack comes amid escalating tensions between the government and elements of the country's Kurdish minority.

Two weeks ago, lawmakers voted to extend authorization for the Turkish military to carry out cross-border attacks against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Turkish police also arrested more than 100 people across the country suspected of links to PKK rebels.

The Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party issued a written statement Wednesday, saying: "We are calling on both the government and the PKK to urgently stop the war without wasting one more second. Turkey's most urgent need is peace."

The Kurds represent the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. For decades, they were the target of repressive government policies, implemented by officials who sometimes referred to them as "mountain Turks."

Until just a few years ago, it was illegal to speak Kurdish on radio and television in Turkey. Under Erdogan, the government has tried to improve relations by launching a state Kurdish language TV station in 2009.

Some observers have sounded the alarm about escalating tension between Turkey and its Kurdish minority, warning it may reignite a conflict that has simmered since 1984 and claimed more than 30,000 lives.

Erdogan canceled a trip to Kazakhstan planned for Wednesday in the wake of the attack.

"We changed our plans after hearing about the very sad incident that happened early this morning. ... Our heroes were killed during a cowardly attack," said Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc. He earlier said 25 soldiers were killed.

CNN's Yesim Comert and Talia Kayali contributed to this report.

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