Turkish rescue workers pulled 10 bodies out of the rubble Friday, bringing the death toll from the 5.6-magnitude earthquake to 22, state TV reported.
Rescue teams in the city of Van had brought out alive 30 people from the rubble of two hotels flattened by Wednesday night's quake, dpa reported.
At one of the hotels, search teams downed tools Friday, saying their job was finished.
One rescue worker said they expected to find only "four of five bodies" when the rubble was cleared. "We'll finish tomorrow (Saturday)," senior rescue worker Recep Chalci told NTV.
Excavating machines dug into the remains of the Bayram and Aslan Hotels in Van, suggesting there was no longer any chance of finding more survivors.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded Friday to the outcry in Van over why people were allowed to live and work in the two hotels that had evidently been structurally damaged by the 7.2-magnitude quake of October 23.
"We will start legal proceedings against whoever is responsible (for allowing the hotels to be occupied)," Erdogan said.
Earthquake expert Dogan Kalafat told broadcaster CNN Turk that he expected severe aftershocks in three weeks' time. He warned people against returning to their houses if they were damaged.
His remarks came as popular resentment rose against Van Governor Munir Karaloglu who, after the October quake, had urged people to go back into their apartment buildings if they were not damaged.
A crowd in Van heckled Interior Minister Beshir Atalay on Thursday, provoking a baton charge and tear-gassing by the police.