Tuesday saw the declaration of an emergency by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in ten provinces hit by two earthquakes that left more than 5,200 people dead and a path of devastation across a large stretch of southern Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Rescuers were still struggling to pull survivors from the wreckage of collapsed buildings a day after the earthquakes struck as they laboured in difficult conditions.
The number of fatalities appeared to be significantly on the rise as the disaster’s scope became more and more clear. It was thought that thousands of youngsters may have been slaughtered, according to a UN official.
Additionally, citizens of various affected Turkish cities expressed their rage and hopelessness at what they perceived to be the government’s tardy and insufficient response to the deadliest earthquake to ever strike.
“Not even a single person is present. We are buried in snow, without a home or anything else “said Murat Alinak, whose family members are missing and whose home in Malatya collapsed. Where can I go? What should I do?
Hospitals, schools, and apartment complexes were among the hundreds of structures that were destroyed by Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake and its follow-up, which struck hours later and was nearly as strong.
In Turkish and northern Syrian cities, tens of thousands of people suffered injuries or lost their homes.
