Pictures of devastation and utter chaos prevail in Turkey and Syria, where rescuers race against time to find people trapped under the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings left behind by the deadly 7.8 quake and aftershocks that followed.

The official number of dead and injured in both countries is constantly rising. According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, at least 1,541 people have died in Turkey. 9,733 people were injured in at least ten provinces in Turkey.

According to the French news agency AFP, 810 people have died in Syria. The Ministry of Health of the country reported that more than 1,000 people were injured.

The death toll now stands at 2,351 in the two countries affected by Engelado.

This film crew was broadcasting live when a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/XM5VVH7Qrl

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) February 6, 2023

105 tremors, thousands of buildings collapsed

According to Yunus Sezer, head of the country’s disaster management agency AFAD, a total of 105 aftershocks were recorded. Still. 3,471 buildings were confirmed to have collapsed.

According to the Turkish Disaster Response Agency, a total of 9,698 people are manned by search and rescue teams operating in the affected areas. There is currently no risk of a tsunami affecting Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coast.

More than 1,600 people have died in Turkey and Syria, where two powerful earthquakes and dozens of aftershocks destroyed thousands of buildings. The death toll is likely to continue to rise. pic.twitter.com/NsqGZmBNkE

— New York Times (@nytimes) February 6, 2023

Turkey creates “air corridor of assistance”

After the earthquake, the Turkish military established an “air corridor” to allow local search and rescue teams to reach the affected area. “We have mobilized our aircraft to send doctors, search and rescue teams and their vehicles to the earthquake zone,” National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said.

A TV journalist runs away when the second earthquake hits Turkey while he is on live television.

Latest updates: https://t.co/1RsQtzGLG2 pic.twitter.com/bcXhANk97B

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 6, 2023

Syria: Ruined buildings and hospitals full of corpses

Ruined buildings and hospitals full of corpses also make up the picture in northern Syria, where airstrikes have already weakened the foundations of many buildings.

Cold winter temperatures are another challenge for rescuers, who describe entire Syrian families being exposed to “polar” temperatures and heavy rains. In the province of Idlib, the quake destroyed hastily built structures intended for camps for displaced people and host Syrians who fled their homes to escape the war.

“Ambulance sirens are heard everywhere. People are shocked. The situation is so tragic. So much fear, and we still feel the tremors,” says a resident of Afrin.

WHO: Losses will increase

The World Health Organization (WHO) expects a significant increase in the death toll from a large earthquake and aftershocks that occurred.

Earthquake of magnitude 7.8. it was the worst thing that happened to Turkey in this century. A few hours later, another strong earthquake of magnitude 7.7 followed.

“I think we can expect the death toll to rise significantly,” said Rick Brennan, WHO regional director for emergencies in the Eastern Mediterranean. “Many buildings have collapsed and there will be more around the epicenter.”

Brennan said the WHO is beefing up staff in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, the earthquake’s epicenter, and is considering sending medical teams to respond to emergencies in the region. He stated that rescue efforts are hampered by aftershocks following the initial quake..

“It’s harder for rescue teams to get there to rescue people,” he said. “Buildings that may have taken some damage but are still functional could take another hit and collapse.”

Syria, which has been facing a humanitarian crisis, serious economic problems and a cholera outbreak for years, has found itself in a “perfect storm” after the deadly earthquake, Brennan said. “The combination of all these crises results in enormous suffering,” he said.

Agony for the trap

The devastating earthquake caused the collapse of apartment buildings in cities such as Adana, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa and Diyarbakir.

“My sister and her three children are under the rubble. As well as her husband, father-in-law and mother-in-law. Seven members of our family are under the rubble,” Mukhytin Orakze told AFP as he watched a search and rescue operation in front of an apartment building that had become a shapeless mass in Diyarbakır.

Public hospitals in Iskenderun and Antiyaman retreated from the quake, which struck at 04:17 local time and had a focal depth of 17.9 kilometers, according to the American Seismological Institute of the USGS.

Eyewitnesses report shaking #Turkey 5 minutes ago (local time 13:25:00)⚠
More information coming soon! pic.twitter.com/SSCY32PFZv

— EMSC (@LastQuake) February 6, 2023

The epicenter was located in the Pazardzhik region of Kahramanmaras province (southeast), about 60 km from the border with Syria in a straight line.

Difficult weather conditions

A wave of bad weather that hit the mountainous region paralyzed the main airports in Diyarbakir and Malatya, where heavy snowfall continues, and many evacuees in the cold are dressed only in pajamas.

“We hear voices in the rubble. We believe that up to 200 people are stuck under the ruins,” a member of the rescue team working in the damaged apartment building in Diyarbakir told the cameras of the Turkish private broadcaster NTV.

Residents have mobilized and are trying to remove the garbage even with their bare hands and buckets.

Even further south, according to NTV, the Byzantine citadel of Gaziantep, built in the 6th century, partially collapsed. Rescuers and civil protection, as well as Syrian firefighters, are trying to pull survivors out of the rubble, local media reported.

On Twitter, Turkish citizens share the names and locations of people trapped under rubble in various cities.

Seeking International Assistance

“All our teams have been put on alert,” Turkish Minister Suleyman Soylu told Turkish private broadcaster Habertürk, adding that his government is asking for “international assistance.”

Support offer

In this context, governments and international organizations hastened to offer their assistance to the affected areas: