Ankara: The death toll in both countries has exceeded 15,000 in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria. Available figures are 12,391 dead in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria. Rescue operations are continuing in the disaster-hit areas.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Erdogan admitted that there were problems on the part of the government in the earthquake relief work. Urgugan pointed out that it is impossible to prepare for such a traumatic disaster. There was widespread protest against the government alleging that the relief work was delayed. The President visited Kahramanmaras where there was a lot of damage.
An earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred on the southeastern Turkish-Syrian border around 4:17 am local time on February 6. There were aftershocks. Hundreds of buildings were destroyed in both countries. Extreme cold is making life difficult for those in the relief centers. International relief aid is pouring in.
At the same time, aid workers point out that Syria does not receive international aid like Turkey does. They say that 60 hours after the disaster, hundreds of people are still trapped in the buildings and international help is needed.