Death toll from Turkey-Syria earthquake crosses 6,000, hundreds still trapped in debris

A devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday, followed by several aftershocks, raising the death toll to more than 6,000. The death toll in Turkey has increased to 4544 while in Syria also more than 18032 people have died due to earthquake.The number of injured has also crossed the 30,000 mark. The death toll may rise further. Hundreds of people are still trapped in the debris. Relief and rescue operations are going on. So far about eight thousand people have been rescued. On the other hand, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared a state of emergency for three months in 10 southern provinces of the country affected by the earthquake. Along with this, he has asked to speed up the relief work in the earthquake affected areas.

Rescue workers are carefully removing concrete boulders and iron rods so that any survivors, if any, can be safely pulled out of the rubble. People are gathering near damaged buildings in search of their loved ones. People in the quake-hit areas have taken shelter in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres. Apart from this, some people who are scared are also on the streets. The temperature hovering around zero and bad weather remained a hindrance in the rescue work.

Countries around the world including India have sent their teams to assist in the rescue efforts. Meanwhile, a huge fire broke out in a part of the port in a city hit by the earthquake in southeast Turkey. Pictures show black smoke billowing from a burning container at the port of Iskandreyan. The Turkish Coast Guard vessel is engaged in efforts to extinguish the fire.