Lucky survivors of the massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has seen more than 16,000 people killed as of Thursday, 9 February, have been left battling with the harsh cold as rescuers as still racing to save countless people who are still trapped under rubble.
The death toll from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake is still expected to rise significantly as rescue efforts reach the 72-hour mark that disaster experts consider the most probable period for rescuing individuals.
Officials and medics had reported that about 12,873 people had died in Turkey and approximately 3,162 in neighboring Syria from Monday’s quake, totaling the casualties to 16,035.
Dozens of nations, including the USA, China, and the Gulf States have promised to render help, and search teams as well as relief items.
The Turkey-Syrian border is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones and Monday’s earthquake is the largest, Turkey has experienced since 1939 when about 33,000 people perished in the eastern Erzincan province.