The Turkish Red Crescent said that 17 lorries carrying aid for earthquake victims have been looted.

土耳其红新月会称，17辆载有地震救援物资的卡车被抢劫一空。

Local officials in the city of Van said that survivors¹, furious at not receiving supplies, had raided the convoy² for food and blankets.

In the worst-hit town of Ercis, thieves stopped a lorry carrying tents.

Two more people were pulled alive from the rubble³ on Wednesday, but hopes are fading that more survivors will be found.

More than 480 people are known to have died in Sunday's earthquake, but the Red Crescent believes that hundreds are still trapped under the rubble, feared dead.

Rescue workers are trying to get food and blankets to survivors as temperatures plummet⁴（垂直落下） in the mountainous region.

Thousands of people - who have been left homeless - are spending a fourth night in freezing weather conditions and snow.

Turkey has said it will accept offers of aid from foreign countries to cope with the aftermath of the earthquake, after initially⁵ declining offers of help.

Housing survivors

The Turkish authorities said there was an urgent need for accommodation（膳宿） .

Van province Governor Munir Karaloglu said 3,000 buildings had collapsed⁶ or were made useless.

"Some residents with no damage in their homes are unable to go back because of aftershocks. That is why everyone wants tents," Reuters quoted him as saying.

"We estimate the total number of people affected⁷ is 600,000. To provide tents to this amount of people in one or two days is something no country would be able to do.

"After the search and rescue efforts our biggest problem is housing. Our biggest need is tents for those citizens whose houses have completely collapsed."

Survivors, many now living in camps, have fought over shipments of aid and blocked deliveries.

Health officials have urged them to drink bottled water after detecting an increase in diarrhoea（腹泻） cases, especially among children.

Nazmi Gur, a local politician in Van, told the BBC News website that "hundreds of thousands of people" needed help.

"We can provide food but they desperately⁸ need shelter," he added.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged there had been failures in the distribution of tents.

A teacher, 27, and a student, 18, were rescued on Wednesday in Ercis.

Gozde Bahar, an English-language teacher, was rescued as her mother watched in tears.

University student Eyup Erdem was found using tiny cameras mounted on sticks.

Rescuers broke into applause as he emerged from the debris⁹.