As the race for survivors continues, the earthquake death toll in Turkey and Syria tops 7,700

ADANA, ANTAKYA, and ISTANBUL (Turkey) — On Tuesday, rescue workers raced across Turkey and Syria to locate survivors of the massive earthquake. There were also multiple aftershocks that destroyed thousands of buildings and caused the death toll to rise to over 7,700.

The work of finding survivors in the rubble of buildings was impeded by freezing temperatures and many aftershocks caused Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake.

Residents in Adana in southern Turkey watched as rescue workers searched for survivors under the rubble while they worriedly looked out from the windows of their collapsed homes. This 15-story residential high-rise was one of eleven buildings that collapsed in the city.

What caused the earthquake in Turkey?

After one of their daughters died, two elderly women and a man hugged each other. One of them said, “She was happy.” “We couldn’t have imagined it would end this way,” one of them said.

Late Tuesday night, the death tolls in Turkey and Syria had surpassed 7.700. This includes more than 5,800 in Turkey. Nearly 35,000 people were injured in Syria, according to the Associated Press. According to the Associated Press, at least 1,800 people have been killed in Syria and nearly 3700 were injured. These figures are from rebel-held areas of the war-torn nation.

According to the World Health Organization, the death toll from both countries could soon rise above 20,000.

Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan gave a Tuesday afternoon national address in which he updated citizens on the latest information from the affected area. He said, “I pray for God for mercy for those who have lost their lives, offer my condolences and best wishes for the families of the deceased, and I wish for a speedy recovery for all the injured.”

Damaging earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

At 4:17 AM local time, the earthquake struck Turkey’s, Gaziantep Province. The U.S. Geological Survey stated that many people were still asleep at the time. It occurred at the East Anatolian fault. This is the boundary between the Anatolian, African and Arabian plates of the Earth’s core. The largest aftershock was, which measured 7.5 and occurred 60 miles north of the epicenter on a different fault line.

You can’t forecast earthquakes. The USGS says

According to the government, 13.5 million people were affected in 10 provinces of Turkey. Over 8,000 people have been rescued in Turkey. According to the government, more than 11,000 buildings were damaged. This left more than 380,000 people in need of temporary shelters, hotels and mosques.

Several countries, including the United States, sent teams to assist with the rescue effort. Turkey’s government stated that more than 16,000 rescue workers had been dispatched to the area by Tuesday morning.

According to the Agence France-Presse and the American Press, reports of a terrible moment in northern Syria are coming out from an Aleppo town where relatives pulled a newborn child alive from a fallen home. According to the news wires, a relative claimed that the baby was still connected by her umbilical cord to her mother who died in Monday’s earthquake.

Another horrifying operation was carried out by the Molham Team, a Syrian relief organization. It shared footage that shows a family being rescued from northern Syria following a 40-hour search for survivors. The rescuers and others cheering the news were a sign that the scene helped lift spirits and hope for other families.

Aftershocks and the quake caused severe damage to a region already in turmoil from more than a decade’s civil war within Syria. This conflict has prompted more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees to seek refuge in Turkey. An estimated 4.1 million people were receiving humanitarian aid from the United Nations.

Rescuers race against the clock

NPR traveled to Turkey on Tuesday and discovered that Antakya was destroyed by an earthquake that struck at 80 seconds.

A woman outside a half-toppled building tells NPR her 42-year-old son was found alive, but she said that he was trapped in the rubble Monday.

It is too late when rescue workers manage to pull him out. To say goodbye, they wrap him up in a blanket and place him before his mother.

Scenes such as these have been taking place in both countries, in desperate search of survivors. Time is running out and there are many obstacles that make it difficult.

Humanitarian groups in the area claimed that the U.N.-approved crossing between Turkey and Syria for international aid transport was not available since the earthquake. This further hindered efforts.