Saint Paul reminds the Thessalonians in this Sunday’s second reading of the “toil and drudgery” of the early followers of Christ among them who were “working day and night” to proclaim the gospel of God. Rescuers in eastern Turkey toiled day and night in a frantic search for survivors amid the rubble of Sunday’s devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake.

At midweek the death toll was 461 but the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said that "hundreds, possibly thousands" of people are still trapped under the rubble in eastern Van province, and time is running out.

With powerful aftershocks continuing and sub-freezing temperatures falling on the region for a fourth night, hope of finding more survivors faded Wednesday. The hard decision to turn search-and-rescue into a clearance operation looms as the risk of disease grows. Facing mounting criticism for its slow initial response, the Turkish government has now accepted offers of help from 30 countries around the world.

The quake destroyed thousands of apartment buildings suffering from shoddy construction and leveled numerous villages where the houses are made of clay and mud. With winter fast approaching, authorities are under increasing pressure to provide for those who have lost their homes.

While tent cities and field kitchens have been built in several towns and cities, "We were not expecting such a huge demand for tents," Besir Atalay, the deputy prime minister, said. "When people ask for tents for 100,000 households, you cannot meet that demand."

There have been frequent complaints among residents of the mainly minority Kurdish region that the Ankara government would have acted faster if disaster had struck elsewhere. The revelation from the Turkish Red Crescent that 17 aid trucks had been raided highlighted the sense of despair among survivors.

Sources: Articles by Dorian Jones for VOA News and Agence France Presse