Turkey earthquake rescue efforts were hindered by rain
Key takeaways:
- Rescuers are fighting hefty rain and snow as they race against the clock to see survivors of a devastating earthquake in southeast Turkey.
Almost 5,000 people were killed and 15,000 wounded in Turkey and over the border in Syria when the earthquake hit early on Monday.
WHO has cautioned the toll may climb dramatically as rescuers see more victims. As day broke, rescue crews stepped up their hunt for survivors.
Rescuers’ efforts have been hampered by hefty rain:
Heavy machinery worked through the evening in the city of Adana, with lights adorning the collapsed structures and vast slabs of concrete in scenes repeated across southern Turkey.
Occasionally, the work halted, and a call of “Allahu Akbar” rose when a survivor was discovered, or the bodies were recovered.
Adana is full of the strays – those who lost their houses and others too afraid of aftershocks to be back. Some left without boots, coats and phone chargers. Temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing later this week.
About Turkey’s earthquake:
The 7.8 extent quake pounded at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) on Monday at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) around the city of Gaziantep, according to the US Geological Survey.
A later earthquake had a volume of 7.5, and its epicentre was in the Elbistan district of the Kahramanmaras region. On Tuesday morning, traffic was on the main road to the Turkish city of Maras, close to the tremor’s epicentre.
Vehicles occasionally crawled on the wet road inspired by glowing red brake lights. Rescuers have yet to make it to this region of southern Turkey.
One search and rescue unit on their route to the city, loaded with professional equipment and supplies, informed the BBC they were keen to start searching for survivors, but they had no idea how bad the destruction would be when they came.
Nationally, 8,000 people have been saved from almost 4,700 ruined buildings, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) stated in its latest statement.
