At least two people were killed when a six-story building in Istanbul was leveled by the earthquake INTERACTIVE: Chronology of major earthquakes over the last 20 years  GALLERIES: The story of a rescue Scenes of hope... and destruction VIDEO CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports Tuesday on the destruction (Aug. 17) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Ann Kellan reports on seismologists reactions to the Turkish quake (Aug. 17) Windows Media 28K 80K People are searching through the rubble trying to rescue anyone left alive. CNN's Ken Tiven reports (Aug. 17) Windows Media 28K 80K CNN's Denise Dillon shows the damage done by the quake (Aug. 17) Windows Media 28K 80K Sights and sounds from the scene, along with CNN reports and interviews (Aug. 17) Windows Media 28K 80K  EARTHQUAKE SEVERITY: (Turkish quake measured 7.8 magnitude) Magnitude/Damage: Less than 3.5 3.5 - 5.4 Under 6.0 6.1 - 6.9 7.0 - 7.9 8 or greater  MESSAGE BOARD: Turkey Quake INTERACTIVE: A young girl is rescued from the rubble of a building in Izmit   RELATED AUDIO Click here to listen to reactions on the earthquake in Turkey

August 17, 1999
Web posted at: 10:42 p.m. EDT (0242 GMT)

In this story: Naval, other military facilities hit International aid offered quickly RELATED STORIES, SITES

IZMIT, Turkey (CNN) -- As rescue workers fought desperately through the night to free victims from layers of twisted concrete and steel, shocked survivors of Tuesday's 7.8- magnitude earthquake in northwestern Turkey struggled to come to terms with the scope of devastation and human loss.

Officials said more than 2,000 people were killed by the pre- dawn quake, which was centered near the industrial city of Izmit, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Turkey's largest city, Istanbul.

At least 10,000 people were injured, with thousands more still believed buried under mountains of rubble from collapsed apartment blocks.

Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit traveled from Ankara to tour the area.

"The loss is huge," he said. "It is the biggest natural disaster I have witnessed. ... May Allah help our state and our people."

Mehmet Ali Bayar, special adviser to Turkish President Suleyman Demirel, said the government was doing all it could to help the thousands left homeless by the disaster.

"Of course, this is a shocking situation," he said. "The earthquake hit a vast area, many distant cities and hundreds of thousands of people are affected -- and we're stretched with our resources."

U.S. geologists said the quake registered a magnitude of 7.8, the strongest ever to hit western Turkey. But they later acknowledged its intensity might be downgraded as low as 7.4 as additional measurements are taken into account. A quake registering between 7 and 7.9 is considered a "major" earthquake, capable of widespread heavy damage, said Bill Smith of the U.S. Geologic Survey.

Rescue and aid efforts and communications were hampered in the aftermath of the quake. Badly damaged roads slowed travel, while electricity and telephone outages prevented contact with hard-hit areas. In some areas, water was not available.

In Izmit, student Ergun Balakan lost his mother when the family's apartment building collapsed.

"There is just my father left," Balakan, in tears, said. "I have to keep him going."

In Istanbul, at the site of what was once a five-story apartment building, rescuers dug frantically through piles of concrete for survivors. At one point, a married couple was pulled out alive, but their three children remained trapped. One child later was found dead.

Dr. Haldun Hidir, an on-site doctor assisting rescuers, said freeing the couple made him "so happy ... I'm forgetting everything after saving a person under the rubble."

But there was much more work ahead, he said. "There are so many live persons under the rubble," he added, pointing to the ruined building.

Naval, other military facilities hit

The quake struck just after 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, crushing many people to death in their sleep when apartment buildings and houses collapsed on top of them. Half the dead have been found in Izmit; more than 100 were killed in Istanbul.

In nearby Golcuk, heavy damage and casualties were reported at the Turkish naval base there. At least 160 people were believed trapped under the wreckage. Golcuk's facilities are the heart of the Turkish navy.

"Golcuk was right on the fault line. There was a handover ceremony there yesterday and there were a lot of admirals and naval officers. Most of them stayed at Golcuk," Ecevit said.

Military personnel were also trapped in Istanbul, where 200 soldiers were believed buried beneath a collapsed barracks.

Still more damage and deaths were reported in other cities and villages in Asian Turkey's western side. In Izmit and Bursa, oil refineries burned, while broken gas lines threatened to trigger more fires.

In the cities, the randomness of the earthquake's power was evident in areas where whole blocks of buildings collapsed, while in others a single completely collapsed building was surrounded by structures that were spared.

Thousands of injured people quickly filled area hospitals, forcing emergency medical personnel to treat patients in hospital corridors or even outside in parking lots.

"I'm not sure anyone is prepared to handle a disaster like this one," said freelance journalist Andrew Finkel, who was awakened by the quake. "Certainly the emergency services were very badly stretched, the ones that I saw."

U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, who was in Istanbul when the quake struck, said more than 30 buildings had collapsed in Turkey's largest city.

"It's a massive earthquake," said Richardson, ( 326 K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound) who said he was shaken awake on the 12th floor of his 13-story hotel. "There are a lot of people dead, a lot of babies... It was a pretty terrifying scene."

Neither Richardson, nor Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Hugh Shelton, who was in Ankara, were injured.

Rescuers remove the body of an earthquake victim that they had been trying to reach for several hours

Shelton met with his counterparts in the Turkish military and offered U.S. assistance, the White House said.

In the United States, President Clinton offered America's "thoughts and prayers" and pledged to provide "whatever we can" to help the Turkish people.

Other countries and international agencies quickly pledged support and aid. Israel, Bulgaria, Italy, Iran, Japan, Germany, France, and even long-time rival Greece offered assistance.

The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva said other countries, including Russia, Austria, Switzerland and Sweden, had offered to provide search and rescue teams.

Much of Turkey sits on an earthquake prone zone known as the Anatolia fault. Izmit also sits on the fault line, said Ali Pinar, an official from Istanbul-based Kandilli observatory.

Correspondent Jerrold Kessel, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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