GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) – Hoping to find survivors, a large rescue team in Turkey and Syria on Wednesday searched for signs of life among the rubble of thousands of buildings that collapsed in a devastating earthquake. He has killed more than 11,000 people in the world’s worst earthquake in over a decade.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan toured the “Tent City” in the hard-hit Kahramanmaras, where displaced people live. Erdogan said Monday that his response to the 7.8-magnitude quake was initially inadequate as he urged the government to send more aid to the affected areas, but no one was “on the streets.” I vowed not to be left behind.
Search teams from more than 20 countries joined tens of thousands of local responders on the ground in Syria and Turkey, with pledges of help pouring in from around the world. was so large and spread so widely, including in places isolated by the ongoing Syrian civil war, that many people were still waiting for help. Experts say the window of survival for those who were trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings or who lacked access to water, food and shelter due to elections is rapidly closing almost three days after the quake.
Rescuers sometimes used excavators in their searches, and other times they carefully dug through the rubble to find survivors and dead. With thousands of buildings collapsed, it was not clear how many people were trapped in the rubble.
Turkey’s civil protection agency said Wednesday that those who died in the earthquake but could not be identified will be buried within five days, even if they remain anonymous.
In the Turkish city of Malatya, bodies were laid out on the ground, covered with blankets, waiting for rescuers to pick them up in a hearse, according to former journalist Ozel Pikal. He said road closures and damage to the area made it difficult to access areas in need of assistance, and rescuers were in short supply where he was. Meanwhile, the cold thwarted the efforts of those who were there, including volunteers.
Turkey’s president said the country’s death toll exceeded 8,500. Meanwhile, the Syrian Ministry of Health said the death toll in government-held areas had risen to more than 1,200, according to volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets, and at least in the rebel-controlled northwest. said 1,400 people had died.
That brings the total to 11,000 since Monday’s quake and several strong aftershocks. Tens of thousands more are injured.
He caused the tsunami, and the 2011 earthquake near Japan killed nearly 20,000 people.
The cold added to the misery of the homeless residents. Many survivors in Turkey slept in cars, government housing, or outdoors.
During his visit to the affected areas, Erdogan admitted that there were initial problems with the response, but he said he had improved. He said the government would distribute 10,000 Turkish lira ($532) to affected families.
In Syria, relief efforts are hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of rebel-held areas along the border surrounded by Russian-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions related to the war.
The area lies on a major fault line and is frequently shaken by earthquakes. In 1999, a similarly powerful earthquake hit northwestern Turkey, killing about 18,000 people.
