ISTANBUL, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Turkey's search and rescue teams have been working against the clock on Saturday to save those trapped under debris after a strong earthquake hit the western province of Izmir the previous day.

So far, 100 people have been rescued, according to Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum.

At a press conference in Izmir, Kurum said that 5,000 rescuers are currently attending the operations in the field, and there are various heavily damaged buildings.

A total of 17 buildings collapsed across the province, and rescue operations are going on in eight of them, Kurum said, urging citizens to shun entering these buildings.

The rescue operations have mostly focused on several apartment buildings in the Bayrakli district, one of the worst-hit areas.

It took nine seconds for Doruk, a 17-year-old student, to get out of his apartment in Bayrakli after the powerful earthquake. He later met with his mother Ebru in front of their building, which has seemingly appeared to remain intact in the Manavkuyu neighborhood.

"After a while, the building beside collapsed over the top of ours," Doruk told Xinhua on the phone. "Now, all gone, my computer and everything," he said in tears.

Tansel Akyokus, a 45-year-old Izmir resident, was caught the earthquake with his two children at their apartment in the Bostanli neighborhood in the Karsiyaka district.

"This was very different than the previous tremors I experienced," he told Xinhua on the phone. After the quake, the Akyokus family left Izmir for their summer house in the resort town of Cesme.

"Frankly, I don't know if our building got any damage. I went in to take a couple of clothes. I closed the gas and ran away without checking," he said.

For Burak Coskun, a local reporter, there was real chaos the previous night in the downtown.

"Most of the citizens were trying to leave the city for safer places where they could spend the night," he told Xinhua.

"Today Izmir was deserted. All we can see are numerous rescue teams working in the debris, and other local officials trying to deliver supplies to those who had to spend the night outside," he added.

Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer said that food, blankets, and clothing were continuously sent to tent centers and accommodation facilities overnight.

The municipality of Turkey's biggest city Istanbul has dispatched 150 personnel with 21 vehicles from the fire department to take part in rescue operations.

"Our hearts are all beating with those affected," Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu said on his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Turkey's National Education Minister Ziya Selcuk announced that education throughout the province would be suspended for a week.

Turkey's Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said that 26 people were killed, a total of 885 were wounded and 381 of those injured have been under treatment in hospitals. Enditem

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