Eastern Turkey's Quake Toll Rises to 12

According to the Anatolia news agency, 1,363 tents have arrived in Van, where the magnitude-5.7 tremor was centered. Photo by CNN

Twelve people have died and 28 have been rescued since an earthquake shook eastern Turkey late Wednesday, the government said Friday.

The Turkish Government Crisis Center said 260 survivors had been taken to Istanbul and Ankara.

According to the Anatolia news agency, 1,363 tents have arrived in Van, where the magnitude-5.7 tremor was centered.

Rescue crews worked Thursday to reach dozens trapped beneath the rubble, officials said. Area schools will remain closed until December 5, the Ministry of Education said.

Some of the deaths occurred when two hotels collapsed, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said.

An additional 20 people were rescued from the crumbled structures, he said.

A total of 25 buildings collapsed, but 22 had been empty since October 23, when the region was struck by a 7.2-magnitude earthquake, killing more than 600 people.

That earthquake struck a little north of Van but the city became the headquarters of the relief effort and has been flooded by aid workers and journalists.

The city was only lightly damaged, but some of the weakened buildings are now thought to have been brought down.

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