ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) – Rescuers worked through the night to free survivors trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings as Turkey and Syria reported more than 12,000 deaths from Monday’s earthquake, one of the deadliest in decades.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said at least 9,057 people had died in Turkey alone, while the death toll in neighbouring Syria climbed to at least 2,992, according to figures from the Syrian government and a United Nations agency.
The 7.8 magnitude quake hit southern and central Turkey, as well as northern and western Syria, in the early hours of Monday, reducing apartment blocks to piles of concrete slabs, and killing people as they slept.
Freezing temperatures have added to the misery of survivors, many of whom have lost their homes and are now living outdoors or in temporary shelters.
More than 60 countries have offered to help, and teams from across the world have arrived in Turkey to assist in the rescue efforts.
In the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, near the quake’s epicentre, rescuers toiled to free a three-year-old girl from the debris of a collapsed building. Video footage circulated online showed a rescuer pulling the girl from the wreckage and handing her to another person.
As the search for survivors entered its third day, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said more than 8,000 people had been rescued from the rubble.
However, the scale of the disaster, with entire city blocks destroyed, has overwhelmed rescue efforts, and pleas for help could still be heard from the ruins.
Some survivors have complained of being left to fend for themselves, and there have been reports of looting in some areas.
Erdogan has declared a state of emergency in Turkey, and has sent the military to assist with the response.
He visited the earthquake-hit province of Hatay on Tuesday, where he acknowledged some problems with the response but said the situation was now under control.
“Initially there were some problems, but today the situation is under control,” Erdogan said. “We have mobilised all our resources.”
The United Nations has warned that the death toll from the earthquake could rise to more than 20,000, and has appealed for international aid to help with the response.
The European Union and the United States have both pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid, and are sending teams to assist with the rescue efforts.
The quake is the deadliest natural disaster in Turkey since 1939, when an earthquake of similar magnitude killed 30,000 people in the eastern province of Erzincan.
It is also the deadliest earthquake in Syria since the country’s civil war began in 2011, surpassing the 6,000 people who were killed in an earthquake in 2014.
The earthquake has caused widespread damage to buildings and infrastructure in both Turkey and Syria, and has left thousands of people homeless.
Many survivors are now living in temporary shelters, such as tents and sports halls, and are in need of food, water, and medical assistance.
Aid agencies are warning that the humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake is likely to worsen in the coming days and weeks, and are appealing for international support to help meet the needs of the survivors.
In the meantime, rescuers continue to search for survivors in the rubble, but are facing increasing challenges as time goes by.
The freezing temperatures are making it difficult for survivors to stay warm, and the damaged roads and infrastructure are hindering the delivery of aid to those in need.
The earthquake is a major humanitarian crisis, and will require a massive international response to meet the needs of the survivors and help them to rebuild their lives.
You can donate to the relief efforts through the following organisations:
– The Turkish Red Crescent: https://www.kizilay.org.tr/Bagis
– The Syrian Red Crescent: https://www.icrc.org/en/donate/syrian-arab-republic
– The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC): https://www.ifrc.org/en/donate/emergencies/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal/.
