The death toll from massive earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria on Monday has risen to more than 8,700, according to a new preliminary number released by authorities today.
Turkey has reported 6,234 deaths, according to the most recent toll, while Syria has recorded 2,530 deaths so far, out of a preliminary total of 8,764, the France-Presse news agency (AFP) reported, citing data from the authorities of both countries.
Turkish emergency teams this morning managed to rescue a Syrian mother and her two-year-old daughter 44 hours after they were buried under the rubble of a destroyed building in southern Turkey.
According to the Turkish state news agency Anatolia, after hearing cries for help, teams reached Imed Sabha, a 33-year-old Syrian mother, and her daughter Vafe in one of the many destroyed buildings in the town of Kahramanmaras, close to the Syrian border.
In Syria, residents found a crying newborn baby still connected by umbilical cord to her mother, who was already dead. The baby was the only family member to survive a building collapse in the small town of Jinderis, relatives told The Associated Press.
The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority indicated that about 60,200 members of the search and rescue teams, including experts from more than 70 countries and non-governmental organizations, are working on search and rescue missions and debris removal, under a unit that has deployed more than 100 aircraft and helicopters.
The first foreign rescue teams arrived on Tuesday. The European Union (EU) has sent 1,185 rescue teams and 79 sniffer dogs to Turkey from 19 member states, including France, Germany and Greece.
A South Korean military transport aircraft departed for Turkey today carrying 118 army rescuers, equipment and supplies, South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement.
Also today, Australia announced the deployment of more than 70 specialists to Turkey to assist with search and rescue tasks.
Bad weather hampers rescue operations and makes the situation even more difficult for some survivors, who suffer from the cold and have to resort to makeshift fireplaces.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that 23 million people “may be exposed, including about five million vulnerable people”, having already said it fears “balances eight times greater than initial figures”.
The earthquake also caused the collapse of a total of 5,775 buildings, according to authorities.
Source: DN
