Voice of America, 99-08-21

Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Voice of America <gopher://gopher.voa.gov>

CONTENTS

[01] TURKEY EARTHQUAKE ONITER (S&L) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (ISTANBUL)

[02] TURKEY HEALTH RISKS / L-O BY LAURIE KASSMAN (ADAPAZARI)

[03] TURKEY-FIRE L-O BY LAURIE KASSMAN (IZMIT, TURKEY)

[04] CLINTON / NORTHERN IRELAND (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA.)

[05] RUSSIA / DAGESTAN (L-O) BY GUY CHAZAN (MOSCOW)

[01] TURKEY EARTHQUAKE ONITER (S&L) BY LAURIE KASSMAN (ISTANBUL)

INTRO: Turkey's death toll has surpassed 12-thousand (EDS. UPDATE PLS) and is expected to rise as more bodies are pulled from wreckage left by Tuesday's massive earthquake. More than 35-thousand are still missing and believed buried under the rubble. Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports from Istanbul on the rescue and relief efforts.

TEXT: Rescue workers on Saturday managed to pull out at least six more survivors from collapsed buildings near Izmet, in western Turkey. Israeli rescue crews pulled a ten-year-old Israeli girl nearly 100 hours after she had been trapped by the earthquake in a vacation home. Turkish rescuers dug out a 95- year-old woman from her home. But the focus now is on the health of those who escaped death or injury. Doctors are warning of a health crisis because of contaminated water supplies, unsanitary conditions in makeshift camps, and the searing heat. Doctors fear the spread of dysentery, typhoid, cholera and hepatitis. Turkish and international aid groups are setting up tent villages to shelter those left homeless by the earthquake. A U-N field officer told V-O-A Turkey will need about 20 thousand tents. He expects the international community to provide about three- quarters of them. Three camps are being set up in Izmet and four more should be up and running by next week.

[02] TURKEY HEALTH RISKS / L-O BY LAURIE KASSMAN (ADAPAZARI)

INTRO: Four days after an earthquake devastated western Turkey, health officials and international medical teams are focusing on the looming health crisis. Unsanitary conditions, contaminated water wells and decaying bodies all are creating conditions ripe for the spread of disease. V-O-A Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports from Adapazari on what's being done to prevent an epidemic.

TEXT: International health specialists say water from Izmit's main supply lines is safe to drink. However, the pipes are cut in many of the heavy-hit areas and outlying villages. That means people are drawing their water from contaminated wells. Health specialist Dixon Chanda of the international aid group, Doctors without Borders, says public officials are warning people to stay away from the wells.

[03] TURKEY-FIRE L-O BY LAURIE KASSMAN (IZMIT, TURKEY)

INTRO: Four days after a massive oil refinery fire erupted in the northwestern Turkish city of Izmit, officials announced it was finally extinguished. But then, to their embarrassment, the tanks re-ignited even as they were talking to reporters. Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports the fire was caused by Tuesday's massive earthquake.

TEXT: Officials at Izmit's oil refinery called a news conference to announce that the oil fire had been extinguished at 4:30 Saturday morning. But as the chairman of the board, Ismail Alakoc, was making the announcement, flames and thick black smoke could be seen through the window behind him as the tank fire re-ignited. Mr. Alakoc, clearly stunned, tried to explain that the fire was still under control.

[04] CLINTON / NORTHERN IRELAND (L) BY DEBORAH TATE (MARTHA'S VINEYARD, MA.)

INTRO: President Clinton is appealing to the leaders of the Northern Ireland peace process to put aside any mistrust and implement of the Good Friday Accord. Mr. Clinton took a break from his vacation in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, late Friday, to attend a fundraising event for a Northern Ireland charity. Correspondent Deborah Tate reports from Martha's Vineyard. Text: Mr. Clinton -- who has made peace in Northern Ireland a top foreign policy objective -- expressed concern about a dispute over disarmament which threatens last year's landmark Good Friday accord. Speaking in Nantucket -- an island not far from Martha's Vineyard -- Mr. Clinton urged the parties to put aside any mistrust of one another.

[05] RUSSIA / DAGESTAN (L-O) BY GUY CHAZAN (MOSCOW)

INTRO: Fighting continues in southern Russia, where government troops are battling Muslim insurgents holding a cluster of mountain villages in Dagestan. The Russian military command claims its forces have killed up to 100 rebels in just one day of fighting. Guy Chazan reports from Moscow:

TEXT: Russian Defense Ministry bulletins continue to claim headway is being made against the rebels. But, so far, there is little evidence of that on the ground. The insurgents -- adherents of the radical Wahhabi Islamic sect -- continue to hold six villages, close to the border with Chechnya. Despite a relentless bombardment by Russian aircraft and heavy artillery, the rebels have yielded little ground. Moscow says 100 militants were killed in a single day of fighting, but there has been no independent verification. Most military analysts in Moscow think reports of rebel losses are greatly exaggerated. The defense ministry says its forces have destroyed rebel ammunition dumps and knocked out a number of vehicles bringing reinforcements and supplies. However, it is clear the tide in the fighting will only turn once government troops capture the strategic heights around the small mountain-top village, Tondo. Tondo controls a crucial mountain pass through which the rebels are bringing in men and material from Chechnya. So far, all attempts to take the village have failed. A ground assault, earlier this week, left Russia with heavy casualties. Russia has tremendous superiority in firepower and has thousands of troops and plenty of heavy weaponry in Dagestan. But the rebels -- many of them veterans of the Chechen War -- are determined and well-trained fighters who are experts at digging in and holding their positions. (signed) NEB/gc/dw / wd 21-Aug-1999 07:25 AM LOC (21-Aug-1999 1125 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America

Voice of America: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article