Turkey earthquake death toll rises to 24

ANKARA (RIA Novosti)- The death toll in a devastating earthquake in southeastern Turkey has risen to 24, the CNN-Turk TV channel reported on Friday.

Seven bodies were pulled from the rubble in the past 24 hours, including five employees of a local travel agency, buried under the collapsed four-storey building of the Bayram hotel.

As of noon Moscow time (08:00 GMT), 30 trapped people were rescued.

The 5.6-magnitude earthquake in the Van province left dozens injured and destroyed 25 buildings, including two hotels. Twenty-two buildings were uninhabited.

About 800 rescuers are clearing the rubble at the site of the three demolished buildings, with most fatalities occurring at the Bayram hotel where Red Cross workers and journalists were staying.

This was the second strong earthquake in the Van province in the past three weeks. On October 23, a far more powerful 7.2-magnitude quake left at least 600 people dead.