Ankara/ Damascus (Web Desk/Agencies): The death toll from earthquakes, that struck Turkiye and Syria on Monday, has soared above 11,000 as the search and rescue operations are underway.
According to international media reports, at least 8,574 people have died in Turkiye, the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. At least 2,530 have been killed in Syria.
President Erdogan was speaking from Kahramanmaras during a visit to some of the areas worst hit by the temblors.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has acknowledged that there were some issues in responding on the first day since the earthquakes but has urged Turkish people to be patient and united.
He said there had been problems with roads and airports but that everything would get better by the day.
Erdogan also said citizens should only heed communication from authorities and ignore “provocateurs,” as thousands of people complain about a lack of resources and slow response by officials.
New houses will be built, he said, promising that no one will be left in the streets. “This is the time for us to be united,” Erdogan added.
Nearly 250 schools in Syria’s government-controlled areas have been damaged due to the earthquakes, the country’s state-run SANA news agency reported quoting education minister Darem Tabbaa.
The death toll could further surge as rescue workers continue search for survivors under the rubbles of thousands of toppled buildings despite freezing-cold weather.
Relatives of victims, and global rescue teams including from Pakistan have also joined the rescue efforts in the worst-hit cities.
Countries and organizations from across the globe have responded to the crisis with money, equipment and boots on the ground. Doctors Without Borders says it has 500 staff working in Syria — some of whom lost family members in the quake.
NATO said its members are sending more than 1,400 emergency response personnel, US media outlet reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates up to 23 million people could be affected by the earthquake.
The situation is particularly dire in Syria, where the UN says nearly 70% of the population was in need of humanitarian assistance before the quake — an issue that has only been compounded by the tragedy.
A powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, killing hundreds, levelling buildings while people were still in their sleep, and sending tremors that were felt as far away as the island of Cyprus.
According to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) the 7.8 magnitude quake struck at 4.17 a.m. (0117GMT) and was centered in the Pazarcik district in Türkiye’s southern province of Kahramanmaras. The quake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles).
AFAD said in a statement that 78 aftershocks occurred following the earthquake. Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakır, Adana, Adıyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Hatay, and Kilis provinces are heavily affected by the quake.
