TURKEY: Earthquake death toll elevated to 91

IZMIR, Turkey — A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the eastern Mediterranean shook Greek islands and the Turkish coast caused large scale destruction in the region over the weekend. Especially hard hit was the Turkish city of Izmir.

With rescue crews still working to free those trapped under the rubble of collapse buildings four days after the quake, the Turkish government revised the death toll to 91.

Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management (AVAD) said in a statement on Monday that of the 962 people injured in the earthquake, 743 have been discharged.

AVAD said that authorities have erected more than 3,500 tents with 13,000 beds to act as temporary shelters for those left homeless by the disaster.

The earthquake occurred at a time when Turkey was already buckling under a deteriorating economy and collapsing currency.

Several Western and Arab countries, including neighboring Greece which Turkey has repeatedly antagonized in search of natural resources in Greek territorial waters, expressed their condolences to the families of the victims of the earthquake and offered their support in rescue operations.