(Dan Tri) – Rescue forces in Türkiye and Syria are racing against time to find people trapped under earthquake rubble, as the number of human and property damage increases. fast.
People and rescue teams rescue a person buried under a collapsed building in Adana, Türkiye (Photo: AP).
A major earthquake occurred on the night of February 6 with an intensity equal to 32 atomic bombs, causing heavy damage to people and property in both Türkiye and Syria.
According to CNN, at least 5,021 people died in Türkiye and Syria due to the earthquake.
In the latest statement, Ms. Catherine Smallwood, senior emergency situation official of the World Health Organization (WHO) Office in the European region, expressed concern that the number of deaths will continue.
`It is likely that further house collapses will continue to occur, so we often estimate that the number of damages could increase 8 times compared to the original number. The fear is that we always see
In Türkiye, about 11,000 houses were destroyed.
With warnings that the death toll continues to rise, rescuers are racing desperately to find people trapped under the rubble.
However, the cold weather below 0 degrees Celsius and the harsh snowstorms of winter have made rescue work much more difficult.
Earthquake in Türkiye, Syria: Desolation like the end of the world
Countries urgently provide support
Relief goods for earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria are lined up in Berlin, Germany (Photo: AP).
Currently, many countries around the world have sent rescue equipment, personnel and aid to places severely damaged by earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
Neighboring Greece sent to Türkiye a team of 21 rescue workers, rescue dogs and 1 special rescue equipment by military transport plane.
In the latest pledge of international support, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said Seoul would send a search and rescue team of 60 people as well as medical supplies and 50 soldiers to help.
The Pakistani government sent a flight carrying relief goods and a 50-member search and rescue team to the scene on the morning of February 7 and said there would be daily aid flights to Syria and Türkiye. from February 8.
India announced it would send two search and rescue teams, including sniffer dogs and specially trained medical staff.
On February 8, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Ankara to express condolences and solidarity with his friend country, according to a statement from Islamabad.
US President Joe Biden called Mr. Erdogan to express his condolences and offer support to Türkiye.
Türkiye’s Emergency and Disaster Management Agency (AFAD) said that more than 24,400 emergency personnel are currently at the earthquake scene.
Race to find people under the rubble
Nurgul Atay said she could hear her mother’s voice beneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Antakya city, capital of Hatay province.
Even though she and others tried to reach the rubble to save people, their efforts were unsuccessful.
Desolate scene of a residential area in Hatay province, southern Türkiye after the earthquake (Photo: Getty).
Across Hatay province, just southwest of the quake’s epicenter, officials said up to 1,500 buildings had been destroyed and many people said their loved ones were trapped under the rubble with no aid or help.
In areas where rescue teams worked, occasional cheers rang out throughout the night as survivors were pulled from the rubble.
In Kahramanmaras province, rescue forces are trying to tear apart concrete slabs looking for people.
The man clutched his face in despair while rescuers searched for survivors in Diyarbakir city, Türkiye (Photo: Getty).
The man was then put in a neck brace, placed on a stretcher and taken to the emergency room.
Ordinary people are also racing to join rescuers in search of fragile hope across Türkiye and Syria.
In some areas of southeastern Turkey, survivors were heard calling for help below collapsed buildings.
Then they bent down to search beneath the crumbling concrete slabs.
A man searches for relatives trapped in a destroyed building in Adana, Türkiye (AP Photo).
In other areas in Kahramanmaras province, rescuers pulled some children alive from the rubble and tried to calm the chaotic crowd so they could hear the cries of those trapped.
According to Mr. Orhan Tatar, an official of the Turkish disaster management agency, more than 7,800 people have been rescued in 10 provinces of the country.
In Syria, thousands of search and rescue workers, medical staff and soldiers are working tirelessly to race against time to save lives.
`We are used to war, to rescuing people from rubble, but this time is different. Many people are still trapped and could die, because we do not have enough equipment to reach them.`
