The powerful earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, February 6 This Wednesday, the figure of 12,000 deaths was exceeded, as rescuers continue their work to find survivors still under the rubble.
According to authorities and medical sources, at least 9,057 people died in Turkey and another 2,992 in Syria from the 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the total death toll to 12,049.
Rescue teams in Turkey and Syria were still racing against the clock with rescue efforts, two days and two nights after the quake. Rescuers worked in freezing temperatures to find survivors under collapsed buildings on both sides of the border.
The 60 most shocking photos of the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria
The head of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kinik, warned that the first 72 hours were critical in the rescue effortsbut noted that these were hampered by “severe weather conditions.”
Still, emergency workers were able to save several children on Wednesday found under a collapsed block in Turkey’s hard-hit Hatay province, where entire townships have been wiped out.
“Suddenly we heard voices… Immediately we heard the voices of three people at the same time,” said lifeguard Alperen Cetinkaya. “We expect more from them…the chances of getting people out here alive are very high,” he said.
The call for help to rescue those who are under the rubble
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said time was running out for the thousands of injured and missing in the rubble. As the hours go by, frustration and anger also grows at the scant aid that reaches some areas located in difficult-to-reach areas or affected by geopolitical conflicts in the area.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who visited Hatay province, on Wednesday pointed to “deficiencies” in the earthquake response, saying “it is impossible to be prepared for such a catastrophe.”
In addition, the quake destroyed the Bab al Hawa border crossing, through which almost all humanitarian aid passes from Turkey to Syrian rebel areas, according to the UN.
“We ask the international community to assume its responsibility towards civilian casualties. International rescue teams need to enter our regions,” his spokesman Mohammad al Chebli told AFP. “It’s a real race against time, people are dying every second under the rubble”he added.
Pope Francis joined these pleas on Wednesday. “I encourage everyone to show solidarity with these territories, some of them already martyred by a long war,” the pontiff said after his general audience.
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