More than 7000 deaths in devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Photo source : Google Image

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) occurred close to Gaziantep. In Turkey and northern Syria, which was also severely damaged by the earthquake, more than 7,000 deaths are believed to have occurred. A subsequent tremor that had its epicentre in the Elbistan district of the province of Kahramanmaras was almost as strong.

The 10 provinces most severely impacted by the earthquake will be under a three-month state of emergency, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. International media reports claim that victims are not getting foreign aid quickly enough.

Some of the dead in Antakya were left on the pavement for hours as emergency personnel and ambulances struggled to handle the scope of the catastrophe. Families of the missing searched the debris for their missing loved ones.

People fear that they will lose their families, friends, and loved ones because there weren't enough rescuers available when they thought there were more people trapped.

Because people fleeing are clogging the mountainous roads, aid is taking longer to reach Kahramanmaras, which is close to the epicentre of the second earthquake. Rescue workers are attempting to deal with rows of buildings that have collapsed into piles of debris as a bitterly cold wind blows smoke and dust from the rubble into their eyes.

Survivors who are currently homeless must hunt for food and burn any furniture they can find to stay warm. Later this week, temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing.

Similar circumstances are present in the port city of Iskenderun, where homeless people are currently looking for shelter outside of buildings. Due to a significant fire, the port in Iskenderun has been shut down indefinitely, causing ships carrying cargo intended for the earthquake disaster zone to be diverted.

Photo Source : Google Image

According to speculation, the fire started when an oil-filled shipping container toppled over due to the earthquake, and the flames quickly spread to the nearby cargo. Due to earthquake damage and other containers currently blocking the entrance, emergency services are having difficulty accessing the location. The use of a firefighting boat to put out the fire has been unsuccessful.

Additionally, there have been reports of difficulties delivering aid to northern Syria, particularly in areas controlled by the opposition. The government and other opposition parties share power there. Due to an ongoing civil war, they are still at odds with one another. Even before the earthquake, the situation was dire in much of the area, with freezing temperatures, deteriorating infrastructure, and a cholera outbreak making life miserable for many locals.

Over four million individuals, mostly women and children, already depended on aid. Given that there is only one small crossing on the Turkish border available to transport supplies to opposition-held areas, the north-west in particular has become one of the hardest places to reach.