Turkey : A frantic race was underway Tuesday to find more survivors and help the injured as the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria the previous day passed 6,200. The toll is likely to climb further as freezing weather and multiple aftershocks are hampering the rescue efforts — despite international assistance.
The death toll has soared above 6,200 and is still expected to rise as rescuers dug into buildings flattened by a powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Turkey’s emergency management agency said the total number of deaths in the country had passed 4,500, with some 26,000 people injured.
In Syria, the quake-affected area is divided between government-held territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by government forces and borders Turkey.
The death toll in government-held areas of Syria climbed over 800, with some 1,400 injured, according to the Health Ministry.
At least 900 people have died in the rebel-held northwest, according to the White Helmets, the emergency organization leading rescue operations, with more than 2,300 injured.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 13 million of the country’s 85 million people were affected, and he declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces.
