ISTANBUL, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's eastern province of Elazig has been trying to heal its wounds amid hard winter and multiple aftershocks since a strong earthquake rocked the region on Friday.
After search and rescue work was completed in the last ruins of a fully collapsed building in the city center of Elazig, it is time for most of the locals to find safe and sound refuge to spend the winter.
The 6.5-magnitude tremor killed a total of 41 people, wounded 1,607 others, and caused widespread damage.
Experts examined more than 13,300 buildings in five provinces in the region and reported that 378 were completely destroyed and over 3,200 heavily damaged.
Over 25,000 tents suitable for families have been sent to the region which has been jolted by a total of 1,190 aftershocks so far, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in a statement.
Hot meals, breakfast, and soup are being regularly distributed to the survivors in the field, as the residents are told not to enter their buildings because of the high risk of aftershocks.
Some 5,000 technical personnel and nearly 1,000 non-governmental organization members and volunteers are helping the improvement of living conditions in the area, Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said at a press conference in Elazig earlier Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Turkish citizens have donated nearly 9.6 million U.S. dollars in financial aid for the victims of the quake, the AFAD revealed.
The temperature in the area, however, drops as low as to minus seven degrees at night, forcing locals to turn to their relatives living in other parts of the country.
Many people were seen loading some of their furniture, bags, and several domestic appliances on trucks to leave the city.
Those who do not have relatives in other cities said they would go to tent cities established by the AFAD.
