Gaziantep, Turkey — More survivors were rescued from the wreckage of fallen buildings on Thursday, but chances of finding many more people alive were fading more than three days after deadly earthquakes and a series of aftershocks struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 16,000.
IHA stated that emergency teams working through the night in the city of Antakya were able to rescue a small child from the wreckage of a building and her father two hours later.
As they prepared to load the father into the ambulance, they informed him that his daughter was still alive and that he would be taken to the same field hospital for treatment.
He softly muttered “I love you all,” to the rescue team.
The DHA news agency said that in the early morning hours in Diyarbakir, east of Antakya, rescuers extricated one injured woman from the rubble of a fallen building but found three bodies close to her.
However, according to experts, the window of opportunity for survival for those trapped under the wreckage or otherwise unable to get basic supplies was swiftly closing. In addition, they stated that it was premature to relinquish hope.
“The first 72 hours are considered to be critical,” said Steven Godby, an expert on natural disasters at Nottingham Trent University in England. “The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%.”
Three individuals are rescued from the debris of a fallen building in Gaziantep, Turkey on February 9, 2023, in the aftermath of a series of powerful earthquakes. Basir Gulum / Anadolu Agency courtesy of Getty Images
In addition to 12,873 fatalities, Turkey’s emergency management ministry said that over 60,000 people have been injured. On the Syrian side of the border, 3,162 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries have been reported, bringing the total number of deaths in the two nations to 16,035.
It is estimated that tens of thousands have lost their homes. Former tenants of a collapsed building in Antakya wrapped themselves in blankets and crowded around an outdoor fire overnight and into Thursday in an attempt to remain warm.
Serap Arslan stated that several people, including her mother and brother, remained buried beneath the debris of the adjoining building. Wednesday was the first day that equipment began to move some of the heavy concrete, she said.
The 45-year-old stated, “We tried to clear it by our own means, but unfortunately we are very inadequately” prepared for the task.
Selen Ekimen wiped away tears with her gloved hands as she stated that her parents and brother were still interred.
She stated that there had been “no sound from them for days,” “None.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was planned to visit to the provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye, and Kilis on Thursday amidst persistent accusations that the government’s reaction has been insufficient.
According to the crisis management organization, more than 110,000 rescue people and over 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers, and excavators, have been sent to the affected area.
As a result of the earthquake, thousands of buildings have collapsed, making the effort Herculean.
Erdogan, who faces a difficult reelection struggle in May, recognized flaws with the emergency response to Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake, but attributed them to the winter cold. In addition to destroying the runway at Hatay’s airport, the earthquake severely hampered the response.
Erdogan stated, “It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster,” “We will not leave any of our citizens uncared for.” In response to critiques, he stated that “dishonorable people” were disseminating “lies and slander” about government actions.
Access to Twitter in Turkey has been limited, despite the fact that it was used by survivors to alert rescuers, the internet monitoring organization NetBlocks reported on Wednesday. However, Twitter CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Wednesday night that “Twitter has been informed by the Turkish government that access will be reenabled shortly.”
On Thursday, NetBlocks tweeted that “Twitter access is being restored in #Turkey after hours of filtering. The reinstatement occurred after officials met with Twitter to “remind Twitter of its responsibilities” regarding material removal and disinformation.”
The disaster comes at a sensitive time for Erdogan, who faces an economic downturn and high inflation. Perceptions that his government mishandled the situation could be detrimental to his standing. He said the government would distribute 10,000 Turkish lira ($532) to affected families.
Teams from more than two dozen nations have joined the efforts of the local emergency officials. But the harm caused by the earthquake and its accompanying aftershocks was so extensive and widespread that many people were still waiting for assistance.
The region was already beset by more than a decade of civil war in Syria. Millions of Syrians have been displaced, and millions more have sought asylum in Turkey.
In Syria, aid efforts have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces. Syria itself is an international pariah under Western sanctions linked to the war.
The death toll has now surpassed that of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in 2015, when 8,800 people perished. A 2011 earthquake in Japan triggered a tsunami, killing nearly 20,000 people
»Death toll from earthquakes surpasses 16,000 as rescue chances diminish«
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