Death toll after earthquake in Turkey has reached 3000 and growing
2023.02.07 03:17
Death toll after earthquake in Turkey has reached 3000 and growing
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – As the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck the country a day earlier increased to nearly 3,000, rescue workers worked early on Tuesday to free people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Turkey.
Early on Monday, the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, ejecting entire apartment buildings, destroying hospitals, and leaving thousands more injured or homeless.
According to the most recent statement released by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings that were destroyed by the tremors a day earlier.
Yunus Sezer, the head of AFAD, stated that 2,921 people had died in Turkey as a result of aftershocks that continued to shake the area. The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported on Tuesday that central Turkey was struck by another earthquake of magnitude 5.6.
Throughout the night, search efforts for survivors were hindered by the freezing winter weather. Under a pile of debris, a woman’s voice could be heard calling for assistance in the southern province of Hatay. A small child’s lifeless body lay nearby.
Deniz, a resident, wrung his hands in despair while weeping in the rain.
He stated, “They’re making noises, but nobody is coming.” We are absolutely devastated. They’re screaming, my God. They are yelling, “Save us,” but we are powerless to save them. How will we keep them alive? Since the morning, no one has been there.”
Overnight, temperatures dipped close to freezing, deteriorating conditions for those left homeless or encased in debris.
Families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm in Kahramanmaras, north of Hatay.
Neset Guler, huddled around the fire with his four children, said, “We barely made it out of the house.” Our circumstance is disastrous. We are thirsty and hungry. It’s horrible.
The U.S. Geological Survey has not recorded a larger earthquake anywhere else in the world since a tremor in the faraway South Atlantic in August 2021. The quake was followed by a series of aftershocks.
Since a 1999 quake of similar magnitude that killed over 17,000 people, this was Turkey’s deadliest earthquake to date. The quake on Monday was said to have injured nearly 16,000 people.
According to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the insurgent-controlled northwestern region, at least 1,444 people died and about 3,500 were injured in Syria.
Assessment and response efforts were hampered by inadequate internet connections and damaged roads connecting some of the worst-hit southern cities in Turkey, home to millions of people.
Preparing for a difficult election in May, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan described the earthquake as a historic disaster and stated that authorities were doing everything in their power.
He stated, “Even though the winter season, the cold weather, and the nighttime earthquake make things more difficult,” “Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts.” According to him, 45 nations had offered to assist in the search and rescue efforts.
In search of survivors, rescue workers climbed a huge pile of rubble in the Turkish city of Iskenderun, which was once the intensive care unit of a state hospital. In order to deal with the new influx of injured patients, health professionals did their best.
Standing outside the hospital, wiping away tears and praying, Tulin, a woman in her 30s, stated, “We have a patient who was taken into surgery but we don’t know what happened.”
The devastation caused by the civil war in Syria, which lasted for more than 11 years, added to the effects of the earthquake.
According to a high-ranking U.N. humanitarian official, its response was also hindered by fuel shortages and the harsh winter weather.
“We have to be creative in how we get to the people… but we are working hard,” U.N. resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters via video link from Damascus. “The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged.”
Twitter footage showed two adjacent buildings collapsing one after the other in the government-controlled city of Aleppo, spewing dust across the streets.
Two people who live in the city, which has suffered significant war damage, claim that the buildings fell within hours of the quake, which was felt as far away as Lebanon and Cyprus.
“We are in a race against time to save the lives of those under the rubble,” said Raed al-Saleh of the Syrian White Helmets, a rescue service in rebel-held territory known for rescuing people from the rubble of buildings damaged by air strikes.
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