- Anna Foster from Marais and Antoinette Radford from London
- BBC News
image source, Reuters
People spent the night on the roads in Turkey’s Iskenderun region.
Heavy rain and snow have hampered rescue efforts as rescuers continue to rescue survivors of a devastating earthquake in southeastern Turkey.
More than 4,300 people have been killed in the early Monday morning earthquake along the Turkish-Syrian border. More than 15,000 people were injured.
The World Health Center has warned that the death toll could rise further as rescuers are still recovering bodies from the quake.
Most of the people in the disaster area are afraid to go inside the buildings.
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Gaziantep, Turkey at 4:17 a.m. Monday, 17.9 km. According to the US Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at depth. Geological Survey reported.
According to seismologists, this is the worst earthquake ever to hit Turkey. At least 2,291 people have died in the earthquake in Turkey so far. The tremors caused by the earthquake lasted for about 2 minutes, survivors said.
Another 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit Elbistan district in Turkey’s Karamanmaras province on Monday.
Some of the rescuers were involved in the rescue operation, digging through the rubble with their bare hands to see if anyone had survived the earthquake.
image source, Burak Kara / Getty Images
Search operations were hampered by heavy rains in the town of Osmaniye, near the epicenter.
Amidst the severe cold and rain, there has been a power outage in the city.
A quake-hit family camped on the road in the freezing cold is afraid to go back inside.
During minor ground tremors after an earthquake, the family moves to the middle of the road out of fear.
A restaurant owner told the BBC that only seven of the 14 people who stayed at their restaurant had been diagnosed.
Countries around the world are extending support by providing special teams, sniffer dogs and equipment for rescue operations.
But with all three airports in Turkey significantly affected, there have been challenges in getting such aid in.
At least 1,400 people are reported to have been killed by the earthquake in northern Syria. Millions of Syrian refugees affected by the civil war were staying in camps in this region.
The area is controlled by three parties: the Syrian government, Kurdish forces, and other rebel groups. Even before the earthquake, Syrian refugees suffered from freezing cold, cholera epidemics and poor infrastructure.
Residents of Aleppo city told Reuters news agency that they were unable to go anywhere because of the fear caused by the earthquake.
image source, AFP
Damaged buildings in Aleppo
A resident of Jantairis told AFP news agency that 12 members of his family were killed in the quake. Another person said his family was trapped in the rubble.
“Their voices are heard. They are alive. But there is no one to save,” he said.
Shajul Islam is from Britain and has been working at Al-Shifa Hospital in Idlib, Northern Syria for the past seven years. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s ‘The World Tonight’ programme, he said his hospital had suffered the worst deaths since the quake.
“Our hospital is full. Around 300-400 people are currently in our hospital. There are two to three people per bed,” he said.
He said he had taken 40-45 people to the ICU who were in critical condition. “We take ventilators away from others and fit them to those who have a high chance of survival. We decide who can be saved from the entrance of the hospital,” he said.
image source, Getty Images
Idlib is one of the most earthquake affected areas in Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that 45 countries have offered to help while appealing for international assistance.
UN Council Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for international help. Humanitarian assistance is needed in the areas as many disaster-affected families “are already facing challenges in accessing assistance,” he said.
The European Union has sent search and rescue teams to Turkey. Also, rescue teams from the Netherlands and Romania are going to Turkey. Britain said it would send a 76-member special team, including equipment and rescue dogs.
France, Germany, Israel and the United States have also announced assistance. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced aid to both Turkey and Syria. Iran also reported the same.
Turkey is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world.
An earthquake in the north-west of the country in 1999 killed more than 17,000 people. Similarly, an earthquake in the eastern province of Erzincan in 1939 killed 33,000 people.
The current earthquake was worst felt in Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel.