On video: drone footage: the destruction in Hatay province in Turkey after the earthquake (Reuters)
The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria today (Wednesday) approached ten thousand, with the chances of finding survivors who survived the frost under the ruins getting smaller as time goes by.
Tens of thousands of people were injured in both countries, and many more lost their homes.
Hospitals and schools collapsed, and entire areas were turned into ruins.
In Turkey, the center of the noise, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency for three months in ten districts of the country that he defined as a disaster area.
The state of emergency will allow the government to bypass parliament and enact new laws and restrict civil rights and liberties.
Erdogan, who faces a difficult election in three months, said the government would house residents affected by the earthquake in hotels in Antalya.
A woman collects her belongings from a damaged building following an earthquake in Gaziantep, Turkey, February 7, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
Some residents in Turkey's epicenters expressed anger and despair at the slow response to the authorities' claim.
"There is not even one person here. We are under the snow, without a house, without anything," said Murat Alinac, whose house in Malatya collapsed and several of his relatives are missing.
"What can I do, where can I go?".
The first earthquake on Monday had a magnitude of 7.8, the strongest in this region in nearly a century, and a few hours later another large earthquake of almost the same magnitude occurred.
It is the deadliest earthquake to hit Turkey since 1999, and Erdogan has warned that it could be the worst disaster in Turkey's history.
The aid organizations are especially afraid of what is happening in Syria, which was in a difficult humanitarian situation even before the earthquake due to the civil war that has been going on for almost 12 years.
Parts of the country are still controlled by the rebel organizations, so there is no single address in Syria with which aid efforts can be coordinated.
In addition, Western countries, many of which have mobilized to help Turkey, are reluctant to provide direct aid to Bashar Assad's regime, which is subject to heavy sanctions.
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A student was saved thanks to a WhatsApp status
Buran Kovet, a Turkish student, who was trapped with his family in the ruins of their apartment on the second floor, was saved thanks to a status he posted on WhatsApp, which included a video of him asking the rescue forces to come to him.
"My mother's condition is fine. I can't hear my uncle," he said in the video.
Five hours later the rescuers reached him.
"My phone was with me," he said after being rescued.
"I thought that if I shared a video on social media, they would see it and save us."
Documentation: The IDF delegation rescues a young woman from the ruins in Turkey (Dotz)
A woman is pulled from the ruins of a house in Karamanmarsh, Turkey.
February 7, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
Turkey: A girl was rescued from the ruins after a day and a half
Rescue efforts continue
Mehmet Rozgar is rescued from the ruins of a building in Hatay, Turkey, February 7, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
World Health Organization: 23 million people are exposed to the earthquake damage
Senior officials at the World Health Organization said that 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, in Turkey and Syria are exposed to the damage of the deadly earthquake.
The organization noted Syria as needing greater humanitarian aid, in light of the 12-year war raging in its territory.
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