The death toll in Turkey and Syria has climbed to more than 4,000 after a massive earthquake hit the two countries early Monday morning and could be felt as far as Lebanon and Israel.
Rescuers continue to search for survivors under the rubble of crumbled buildings and tens of thousands of people left homeless face cold weather as rain and snow hits the region. The number of people killed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake is expected to rise as more victims are uncovered.
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Seismic activity continued to hit the region, focused around southeast Turkey, in the form of aftershocks, including one nearly as strong as the initial quake, according to the Associated Press. There have been at least 100 aftershocks measuring 4.0 or greater since the initial 7.8 magnitude earthquake, per CNN and according to the United States Geological Survey.
“This earthquake produced intense shaking in the epicentral region,” said USGS scientist Kishor Jaiswal. “While newer buildings in other parts of Turkey (like Istanbul) are designed with modern earthquake standards in mind, the area affected by this earthquake included more vulnerable buildings, like older types of concrete frames that were not designed from seismic considerations to absorb this much ground motion.”
To make matters worse, those on the Syrian side are already dealing with the suffering of a 12-year civil war, and many who crossed over to Turkey are refugees from that very conflict.
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President Joe Biden offered support to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who called for seven days of national mourning. The White House said it was sending search-and-rescue teams to assist its NATO ally.
And the U.S. has not been the only country to offer support. Australia and New Zealand pledged more than $11 million in aid for Turkey and Syria, according to CNN, and Indian disaster relief teams are already en route to the damaged region. Japan has also sent aid to Turkey, and Iraq and Iran are sending support to Syria, just some of the other countries offering assistance.
As the death toll continues to climb, first responders work amid rain and snow and race against time to save as many lives as possible.
