The number of people confirmed dead from a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey rose to more than 5,000 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered from the rubble of destroyed buildings.
Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said the total number of deaths in Turkey had risen to 3,419, with another 20,534 people injured. That brought the number of people killed to 5,102, with another 1,602 people confirmed dead on the Syrian side of the border.
Officials feared the number of dead from Monday morning’s earthquake and aftershocks would continue to rise as rescuers searched the rubble for survivors.
Survivors cried out for help from under piles of debris as first responders grappled with rain and snow. The region continued to deal with seismic activity, including one jolt nearly as powerful as the initial earthquake. Rescuers pulled away slabs of concrete in search of bodies as families awaited news about their loved ones.
MORE THAN 2,300 DEAD IN TURKEY, SYRIA AFTER 7.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE
Emergency teams search in the rubble for people in a destroyed building in Adana, Turkey, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023.
Tens of thousands of people in Turkey and Syria suffered through a night in the cold after the quake left them homeless. In the Turkish city of Gaziantep, a provincial capital located about 20 miles from the epicenter, people sheltered in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centers.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning after the quake. President Biden called Erdogan to express condolences and offer assistance. The White House said it was sending search-and-rescue teams to help Turkey.
The quake was centered in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and forced residents of Damascus and Beirut into the streets. The quake was felt as far away as Cairo.
In Syria, the area is divided between government-controlled territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave amid the country’s civil…
