The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, struck in the middle of the night in the mainly Kurdish province of Bingol in eastern Turkey. It was the deadliest quake to hit the country since 1999 when about 20,000 people perished in the northwest of the country.

The European Union's foreign affairs envoy, Javier Solana, offered EU help and support.

Solana expressed his "full solidarity and support" in a telephone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, according to a statement from his office.

Greece, Turkey's neighbour and historical rival, was one of the first countries to offer emergency aid, pledging 300,000 euros and offering to send 25 rescue workers specialised in dealing with catastrophes.

A Greek army cargo plane will take off with the aid and humanitarian equipment, including tents and blankets as soon as Ankara gives the green light, the foreign ministry said.

Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz offered to send search-and-rescue specialists with special equipment and rescue-trained dogs, during a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, a ministry spokesman said.

Israel sent such teams when huge earthquakes struck northwestern Turkey in August and November 1999.

Germany also promised help as Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer proposed to send a specialised German team of rescuers and dogs to search for victims trapped under the debris.

According to a foreign ministry statement, the German government is also contacting aid organisations to discuss deliveries of blood plasma to Turkey.

"Our thoughts go out to the victims, their relatives and all those who have lost property," Fischer said in a message to Gul.

"It is particularly tragic that so many children are among the dead and injured," he said.

Some 450 have been injured in the quake, and scores of people -- mostly children who had been asleep in their dormitories at a boarding school -- were still trapped under collapsed buildings.

The head of Portugal's emergency services said a team of 30 aid workers, including six specially trained rescuers and their dogs who can search for victims trapped under debris, are ready to go to Turkey if asked by Ankara.

The team would include two doctors and two nurses in addition to the rescue workers, as well as water, first aid kits, tents and two vehicles, said Leal Martins, head of Portugal's national firefighter and civil protection service.

Italy's civil protection agency offered aid "within the framework of international help coordinated by the European Union."

"Turkish authorities have so far told our ambassador in Ankara that offers of intervention and support for the emergency work in the affected area are not necessary," the agency said.

French President Jacques Chirac said France was prepared to help with the emergency work but he did not specify which form the assistance would take.

France's Secours Populaire charity launched a fund-raising appeal on behalf of the victims.

"The humanitarian impact of the quake... will be huge, the provisional human toll is already very large," the group said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express "his sincere condolences over the numerous human lives claimed by today's earthquake in Turkey."

The Muslim state of Azerbaijan, which has close cultural ties with Turkey, also expressed sympathy for people who lost relatives.

SPACE.WIRE