The city, though prone to earthquakes, has many older buildings that are not quake-resistant.
“Today what needs to be done is being done, but the important thing is what is to be done on Monday in the cabinet meeting,’’ said Mr. Ozel, an opposition lawmaker, who criticized the government for not taking steps to make buildings more resistant to quakes. “This is the shortcoming.’’
The death toll in Izmir rose to at least 28 people on Saturday, officials said. More than 350 people were being treated in hospitals, including 25 in intensive care, officials said. Two more people died on the Greek island of Samos.
Dramatic scenes unfolded throughout Saturday. At one apartment building, rescuers focused their efforts on saving five members of a family. After managing to open a tunnel through the rubble, they were able to talk to Seher Perincek, 38, who was trapped along with her 11-year-old twins, 7-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter, according to local news reports.
Finally, 23 hours after the quake, Ms. Perincek and two of her children were removed from the wreckage alive, as seen in pictures shared with the press by local officials. One child had died, news reports said, and rescue workers continued searching for the fourth.
“For three hours we communicated with her,” Cem Behar, one of the rescuers who helped Ms. Perincek and her children, said in a televised interview.
“When we first entered, she was hitting the walls to identify where she was,” he added. “As we went further inside the wreckage, we were able to hear her voice, although muffled.”