Search underway for survivors

ALGIERS, May 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Some 1,467 people were killed and 7,207 injured in the quake which rocked northern Algeria, state radio said Friday, May 23, quoting the interior ministry.

The revised toll rocketed from the 1,117 given earlier Friday by the ministry, which had warned that as the rescue effort continued more dead were likely to be found, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The worst affected area is Boumerdes, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of Algiers, where 955 people died.

In the capital Algiers, the death toll Friday reached 501.

Entire apartment blocks crumbled like houses of cards in Wednesday's quake registering up to 6.8 on the Richter Scale, which struck just as families were gathering at home for dinner.

Thousands are believed to be still trapped under tons of concrete and rubble, especially in Boumerdes, Reghaia and Rouiba, which lie on the eastern outskirts of Algiers.

Hundreds of people spent the night outdoors in Algeria as rescuers desperately tried to unearth survivors of the devastating earthquake.

The powerful earth tremor - Algeria's worst since 1980 - left a trail of widespread destruction in Algiers and several towns to the east of the capital.

In Reghaia, some 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of Algiers, authorities requisitioned the municipal stadium, setting up tents for families whose houses were destroyed by the quake.

Others in nearby communities flopped down mattresses in open spaces or in public parks, fearful another tremor could bring about even more devastation.

Massive destruction

An aftershock struck the area early Friday, but there were no reports of further damage.

In the small coastal town of Boumerdes, the spectacle of the destruction caused by the quake was particularly shocking: dozens of once imposing buildings crumpled to the ground.

Armed with shovels and axes, civil defense workers, conscripts, families of the missing and young volunteers appeared helpless when confronted with buildings that had collapsed in a matter of moments.

Hopelessly under equipped, they tried as best they could to pull survivors from the rubble.

"We are here because these are our neighbors, our friends and we have to try everything," said a weary Ali, clawing at rubble and harboring few illusions as to the outcome of his efforts.

Rescuers did manage to pull a young girl out of what remained of an apartment building early Friday morning, an AFP reporter said.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika visited the Boumerdes region and has decreed three days of national mourning.

The earthquake struck early Wednesday evening just as many were sitting down to dinner. Panicked inhabitants of Algiers and the neighboring areas poured onto the streets. Thousands of others were buried in the rubble of collapsed apartment buildings and houses.

The epicenter of the quake was located between Thenia and Zenmouri, according to the Algerian center for astronomic and astrophysical research.

A seismologist tried unsuccessfully to reassure the stunned inhabitants of Algeria that the dozens of aftershocks would weaken and then progressively disappear.

The shock was felt on the Mediterranean coast of Spain, according to the country's national geographic institute.

No victims were recorded but some 200 boats were reported either sunk or damaged by surging waves caused by the quake.

It also severed undersea cables, cutting telephone traffic between Europe and several countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific.

Aid

Residents slept outdoor, still fearful

International aid has begun to arrive. Two French air force planes each carrying a team of 60 rescue workers arrived Thursday, while Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and several other countries either dispatched aid or promised rapid assistance.

In Geneva, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent issued an appeal for two million Swiss francs (1.5 million dollars, 1.3 million euros) for an operation by the Algerian Red Crescent to supply shelter and other emergency aid for at least 10,000 people.

Sweden sent 75 rescuers and tons of relief material to Algeria Friday to assist survivors of an earthquake.

Rescuers were expected to arrive in Algeria at 0900 GMT after leaving the southern Gothenburg-Landveter airport in the morning, a statement said.

The group was said to be self-sufficient for 10 days.

Two Hercules transport planes carrying first aid and other relief equipment were expected in the Algerian capital later in the day.

The Swedish government has also unblocked five million kronor (546,000 euros/638,000 dollars) for the operation.

South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun sent condolences Friday to Algerians, allocating 100,000 U.S. dollars in emergency relief funds for the victims, his office said.

South Korea also sent an emergency aid team of 21 experts to help search and rescue operations, Yonhap news agency reported.

Meanwhile, a team of 20 Turkish rescuers left for Algeria Friday to help in the search for survivors.

The team -- comprised of civil defense members and rescuers from the non-governmental relief group GEA -- flew to the quake-hit country on a special plane sent by the Turkish government, a GEA spokeswoman said.

Ankara also sent medical supplies and tents.