Turkey quake death toll rises to 31
Elazig (Turkey): The death toll from a powerful earthquake which struck eastern Turkey rose to 31, officials said Sunday, as rescue efforts continued.
The magnitude 6.8 quake hit on Friday evening, with its epicentre in the small lakeside town of Sivrice in Elazig province but also affected neighbouring cities and countries.
The Turkish government's disaster and emergency management agency (AFAD) said 31 people died, the majority in Elazig but at least four in nearby Malatya, and 1,607 were injured.
Rescuers scrambled all of Saturday and searched Sunday to rescue people alive from under the rubble. The latest number of individuals rescued was 45, according to AFAD.
Nearly 80 buildings collapsed while 645 were heavily damaged in Elazig and Malatya, the agency said in a statement.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised Saturday that Turkey's housing agency TOKI would "do whatever is necessary and make sure no one is left without a home".
He attended the funeral of a woman and her son in Elazig Saturday, later visiting Malatya after cancelling a speech in Istanbul.
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Case registered against those who took part in protest march against Khamenei's killing
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said that the police have booked a case against those who took out a protest march in the city recently, without permission, condemning the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A large number of Shia Muslims gathered in Richmond Town on March 2 to mourn Khamenei's demise and held a protest march.
"A section of the minority community has accepted Khamenei as their religious leader. When he died, naturally they felt the pain and expressed it. But it should have happened within the framework of the law of the land. They had not sought any permission for the procession and no permission was given," Parameshwara said in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "They went ahead with the procession. So, the police have taken action by registering cases against them. In the days ahead, we will not let them hold any processions. As there are court orders not to permit any procession in the city, it can be done at Freedom Park if needed. The government is strictly abiding by the court orders."
Responding to a question about a Congress legislator also being part of the protest march, the home minister merely said, "We will strictly follow the rules."
Khamenei was killed in an airstrike in Tehran on Saturday during a joint Israel-US attack on Iran.
