The death toll from the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week crossed 11,000 on Wednesday, 7 February, with rescue efforts becoming "harder" due to freezing weather in the two countries, authorities said. In its latest update, Reuters reported that the death toll in Turkey is 8,754. This, combined with the 2,470 deaths in Syria, the total number of official deaths is 11,224. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited southern Turkey amidst widespread anger among local people over the slow response of the government.
More than 96,670 search and rescue teams are currently conducting operations in the field, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) said. "As a result of the negotiations with the Turkish Foreign Ministry, 5,309 personnel coming from other countries for help were dispatched to the disaster area," it added. Besides rescue teams, blankets, tents, food, and psychological support teams were also sent to the affected areas. A total of 70,818 family tents were set up to shelter survivors, AFAD said, adding that 5,434 vehicles, including excavators, tractors, and dozers, were sent to the disaster area.
The BBC quoted Erdogan’s office as saying that he will also go to Pazarcik, the epicentre of Monday's quake. Aid agencies and rescue workers say the death toll is likely to increase further with many people still trapped under the rubble.
Meanwhile, rescue workers have not been able to access all the disaster areas as a cold and wet weather system is moving through the quake-hit region in the two countries, plunging temperatures below freezing. Temperatures are already bitterly low but are forecast to fall several degrees below zero. Scattered showers and snow in the region are expected to continue, putting the lives of those trapped underneath the rubble, who have already gone days without food and water, at risk of hypothermia, reports CNN. The World Health Organisation has also warned that the death toll in the two countries could end up surpassing 20,000.
The earthquake-stricken region in Turkey is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland. The devastating 7.8 tremor struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4.17 am on Monday morning, which was followed by a 6.4-magnitude temblor a few minutes later, in the Gaziantep province. The epicentre of the 7.8-magnitude quake was 23 km east of Nurdagi in Gaziantep, at a depth of 24.1 km.
At around 1.30 p.m, a third 7.5 magnitude tremor hit Kahramanmaras, which officials said, was "not an aftershock". Turkey's southern province of Hatay and Syria's northern Aleppo city suffered the biggest casualties, while Lebanon, Israel, and Cyprus also felt the tremor. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday, declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 provinces. Turkey is also observing a seven-day period of national mourning.
With inputs from IANS