A strong earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria on the 6th (local time) has killed nearly 4,000 people.
According to AFP and Reuters, Turkiye Vice President Puat Oktai said at least 2,379 people have been killed and 14,483 are estimated to have been injured in the earthquake.
Syria's Ministry of Health has so far counted 711 deaths and 1,431 injuries in areas under government control.
At least 733 people were killed and 2,100 injured in rebel-controlled areas, Syrian rebels' civilian rescue team "White Helmet" said. As a result, the total number of deaths in Turkiye and Syria has reached at least 3,823, with more than 18,000 injured.
Earlier, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) predicted a 47 percent probability that the death toll would be between 10,000 and 10,000.
"A massive loss is expected, and disasters will spread widely," he observed. Catherine Smallwood, a senior emergency planning officer at the WHO's European branch, warned AFP, "There is a possibility of further collapse," adding, "There are also situations that increase by eight times from the initial statistics."
At 4:17 a.m., an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 (USGS) occurred inland, about 33 kilometers from Gaziantep, a southern city of Turkiye, at 17.9 kilometers underground, followed by an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 at 1:24 p.m. northeast of Kahraman Marash. Two strong earthquakes and more than 80 aftershocks have led to a sharp increase in casualties not only in Turkiye but also in southern neighboring Syria.
The rescue environment is not easy because not only strong cold has hit the area, but also aftershocks have continued. The temperature in Turkiye is expected to remain below zero until the 7th, and the temperature in Gaziantep is expected to drop to a minimum of minus 6 degrees Celsius. At least 5,606 buildings have collapsed, and a total of 7,800 people have been rescued from the rubble so far, according to the Turkiye Disaster Management Agency (AFAD).
According to the Turkiyen authorities, a total of 10,000 rescue workers have been dispatched to 10 areas to work, and rescue efforts have not yet been carried out in some areas. [Yonhap News]