Turkey quake cuts village in two

DEMIRKOPRU, Feb 19 (AFP): The small, grey house in southern Turkey that once looked out onto the road might appear untouched by last week's huge earthquake but it is now one floor lower.

Surrounding the building in Demirkopru village, home to 1,000 people, are bits of debris floating in murky water, broken pavements and lopsided houses.

The February 6 earthquake and its aftershocks that ravaged swathes of Turkey and Syria and killed more than 44,000 people has split Demirkopru in two.

"The houses sank four metres (13 feet)," said Mahir Karatas, a 42-year-old farmer and owner of the grey house. "The ground went up and down."

Half a dozen buildings, close to Karatas' house, seem to have suffered the wrath of God. The body of a black and white cow is stuck in dried mud inside what remains of a farm shed.

Fortunately, no one died in Demirkopru despite the heavy damage, but some were injured. Rescue efforts in Hatay province have largely focused on Antakya, an ancient city that has been torn apart by the quake, 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) away from Demirkopru.

During the tremor, water rose from below ground then stagnated, residents said. The ornately paved road no longer exists. Some bits are now a metre higher than others. "Here, it became like an island," Murat Yar, a 38-year-old roofer, said.