Avalanches Take Heavy Toll in Turkey
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DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — A wall of snow engulfed a sleeping village in southeast Turkey on Saturday. Hundreds of people are missing in avalanches in the region, and at least 109 are known to have died, officials said.
Hundreds of other Turkish villages have been cut off by blizzards since Friday. Storms forced back rescue helicopters.
Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel cut short talks with world leaders in Switzerland because of the disaster and plans to return home today, television reports said.
The worst avalanche was at Gormec village, nine miles from the town of Sirnak, which had a population of 258 and a police post.
Rescue teams reaching the village found it and the nearby police post completely buried.
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