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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.

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

"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.

People in Kahramanmaraş walk on the streets littered with shattered glass - and in spite of the risk of crumbling buildings - in search of meeting basic needs.

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

Narin, her husband Turan and their son briefly stopped by their tailor shop to warm up next to a small stove.

"We spent last two nights in our relatives' cars," Narin says, adding they are waiting for her brother in Istanbul to arrive and pick them up.

"This is the only thing I have been eating for the last three days," says Turan, showing a loaf of bread. "No one came to help so far."

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

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 Turkish disaster authority AFAD said that some 435 aftershocks have been registered.

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

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 teams are made up of over 1,200 rescue workers, including two medical teams, and over 70 dogs.

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

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.

The governments of Saudi Arabia and Qatar joined a growing list of countries to pledge humanitarian support in the form of health, shelter, food and logistical aid to Türkiye and Syria.