Death toll from Türkiye and Syria earthquake passes 5,000, rescue efforts continue

Search and Rescue teams are digging through leveled buildings and fighting near-freezing temperatures, hoping to dig more survivors out of the rubble as those trapped cried out for help from beneath mountains of debris.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said earlier on Tuesday that at least 3500 people were killed and more than 20,000 others were injured.

 The agency noted that more than 5,700 buildings had also been destroyed in the quake.

According to the Syrian Health Ministry in Syria, at least 1,602 people were killed and about 3,500 others were injured in the country.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization warned that those numbers are likely to increase as much as eight times, as rescue teams find more victims in the rubble.

On Monday morning, a powerful and deadly earthquake struck southern and central Turkey. It occurred 34 km (21 mi) west of Gaziantep at 04:17 TRT (01:17 UTC).

Hundreds of aftershocks, including an unusually strong 7.5 magnitude quake, struck Türkiye in the aftermath.

Seismologists said the first quake was one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey. Survivors said it took two minutes for the shaking to stop. (ILKHA)