Frantic searches in Türkiye, Syria as quake death toll tops 7,000

The number of dead in the aftermath of devastating earthquakes along the Turkish-Syrian border has passed 7,000, officials said. These numbers are expected to rise as rescue efforts by multi-national rescue teams pick up speed amid freezing and stormy weather conditions. In Syria, where the health system and infrastructure has been ravaged by 12 years of war, updates on the tally of dead were coming in more slowly. Erdoğan is planning to visit the area on Wednesday, according to the Turkish news agency Demiroren. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar says additional troops are being dispatched to the quake-hit zone in the south of the country from western Türkiye and Cyprus, the Anadolu news agency reported. In some cities, whole apartment blocks had fallen over due to the tremors. More than 5,700 buildings have reportedly collapsed in Türkiye. Rescuers in Syria also reported that they were struggling with difficult conditions and a lack of machinery. A White Helmet volunteer, who gave his name only as Mohammed, said that the search was 'very slow' overnight in Idlib and other affected areas due a storm which hit the area and the lack of heavy equipment to remove rubble. 'This earthquake has directly affected 13.5 million of our citizens,' Turkish Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum said. In the Göksun district of Kahramanmaraş, some 70 kilometres west of the earthquake's epicentre, a resident who identified himself as Niyazi told a dpa reporter what the situation was like on the ground. 'It gets worse through the night and we have to light [a] camp fire to [keep] warm. Urgent needs are tents, blankets and baby formula,' Niyazi said. Narin, her husband Turan and their son briefly stopped by their tailor shop to warm up next to a small stove. Türkiye has requested help from foreign governments to tackle the aftermath of the earthquakes, the strongest of which registered at magnitude-7.7 and struck at 0117 GMT on Monday. Another powerful quake, only slightly weaker at 7.5, hit around noon the same day. The European Union has sent 27 search and rescue teams from 19 countries to help look for survivors in Türkiye, EU Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarcic said on Tuesday, 11 of which have arrived in Türkiye. The Syrian government, which is under a slew of war-related international sanctions, has appealed to the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and international organizations to extend a helping hand.

Frantic searches in Türkiye, Syria as quake death toll tops 7,000

The numbers of death and injured in Türkiye and Syria are expected to rise as rescue efforts by multi-national rescue teams pick up speed amid freezing and stormy weather conditions.