As of 4 pm (GMT) on Saturday, the government crisis centre counted 12,018 dead and 33,515 wounded as thousands of rescue workers continued to sift through mounds of rubble.

The worst-hit province was Kocaeli, whose main city is the industrial centre of Izmit, with 5,179 dead and 14,718 hurt, according to figures carried by the Anatolia news agency. In neighbouring Sakarya, the death toll stood at 3,046 while 6,884 others were injured, the centre said. As the death toll continued to climb, the press stepped up its criticism of the government for failing to help quake victims on time and coordinate aid efforts.

Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit acknowledged on Saturday that there were ``still a few problems,'' but remained firm that the government was dealing efficiently with thesurvivors in nearly all of the provinces hit by the earthquake five days ago. ``The number of collapsed or heavily-damaged buildings is 60,000,'' Ecevit said.

Ecevit spoke out against what he called ``negative or cruel'' press criticism of the government's relief efforts. ``The government is in an immense effort to resolve problems facing both the state and private sector entrepreneurs because of the earthquake,'' he said.

Turkish Labour Minister Yasar Okuyan said, ``We are facing such a disaster for the first time in 150 years.'' ``We are doing everything we can...We are planning to recover the dead bodies and clear up the debris in 10 to 14 days,'' he added. The Turkish Daily News, said the government had sacked the governors of Izmit, Sakarya and Yalova for their ``inability to cope with coordinating the relief effort.'' Government officials would neither confirm nor deny the report.

On Saturday, Turkish and foreign rescuers pulled out six people, including a 95-year-old woman and a young Israeligirl, alive from rubble. But reporters in the region said most rescue operations yielded only a growing number of bodies.