The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Wednesday exceeded 15,000, while rescuers were racing against time to pull out survivors trapped under the rubble in extremely cold weather.
Officials said 12,391 people were killed in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck early Monday, bringing the total death toll to 15,383.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged the existence of problems in his government’s initial response to the earthquake disaster that struck the south of the country, while anger escalated among local residents over what they see as the government’s slow pace in rescue and relief efforts.
Erdogan said, during a visit to the earthquake area, that operations are now proceeding normally, and pledged to provide shelter for all those affected.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that the scale of the loss of life as a result of the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria was “truly shocking and horrific.”
He stated that the United States has deployed more than 150 search and rescue personnel to Turkey, and that Washington will have more to announce in the coming days about how it will continue to support the Turkish and Syrian people as they recover from the destruction.