Berlin - The German government announced that it would ease entry requirements for survivors and close relatives of children hurt in the earthquake.
"We don't think children who come to Germany will need to apply for a visa," Mr Claus Henning Schapper, State Secretary at the Interior Ministry, told Deutsche Welle radio on Saturday.
Mr Schapper said Germany, which is home to some two million expatriate Turks, would also not require visas for close relatives of children affected by Tuesday's quake. Germany has sent excavation teams to Turkey and contributed Dm 1.5 million to help with rescue operations.
Mr Hakki Keskin, leader of the Turkish Community group in Germany, said that easier entry requirements would allow members of Turkey's expatriate community in Germany to take in relatives and look after them.