Your current location:HOME >style >Feature: Race against time to find survivors at epicenter of Türkiye's massive earthquakes 正文
TIME:2024-05-21 14:50:20 Source: Internet compilationEdit:style
Rescuers search for survivors on the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahr
Rescuers search for survivors on the rubble of a building destroyed in a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Türkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)
"We have found survivors here, but also corpses. We can't abandon the search, the next hours will be crucial to find people still alive," said Mehmet, a Turkish rescuer.
by Burak Akinci
KAHRAMANMARAS, Türkiye, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers were racing against time and a bitter cold to find survivors in Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of two huge and deadly earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria on Monday.
"We have found survivors here, but also corpses. We can't abandon the search, the next hours will be crucial to find people still alive," Mehmet, a Turkish rescuer, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
His team was searching for trapped residents under a mound of rubble that used to be the Ebrar apartment complex, flattened by two powerful tremors.
Once in a while, they ask anguished people who gathered around the rubble searching for family members or volunteers to remain completely silent as they listen out for someone to call for help.
Photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows a damaged car after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Türkiye. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)
Residents were asleep when a magnitude 7.7 quake jolted Kahramanmaras and several other neighboring provinces before dawn.
A second earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck several hours later, complicating rescue efforts.
"The problem here is that if there are other survivors, they had to endure the cold which can cause hypothermia, and their chances of survival are getting slim," Mehmet noted.
The rescuer explained that the complex that collapsed like a house made of cards was home to some 120 residents, most of whom are still believed to be under a mass of metal and concrete.
Throughout Monday, dozens of major aftershocks rattled the region.
The latest official death toll from the massive earthquakes in Türkiye stood at 5,894 with 34,810 injuries early Wednesday. Over 6,000 buildings have collapsed, but authorities believe that the actual number is much higher.
Thousands of rescue workers were scattered across the vast quake-hit zone, which covers 10 provinces of Türkiye, home to around 13.5 million people.
But as the quakes have also seriously disrupted the zone's infrastructure, making highways and roads inaccessible, some cities were left mostly unattended, Xinhua correspondents witnessed.
This aerial photo taken on Feb. 7, 2023 shows collapsed buildings after a powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Türkiye. (Photo by Mustafa Kaya/Xinhua)
Rescuers worked through the cold winter night in the hope of being able to find more survivors, but as time went by, the chance of finding people alive was diminishing.
Turkish social media users were also using Twitter to relay to authorities and rescue teams the exact locations of many people who used their cell phones to locate where they were trapped underneath the buildings.
Survivors of the biggest disaster that Türkiye has witnessed for nearly a century were trying to live in their cars as there was no electricity and no other buildings left to accommodate them in Kahramanmaras.
But gasoline was scarce, and heating remained a serious problem, so did drinking water.
In Gaziantep, Adiyaman and Malatya, three provinces hit by the quakes, survivors took shelter in community centers where they were given blankets and food, television channels reported.
Mosques in the region were also opened to provide shelter.
People warm themselves around a fire in Gaziantep province, Türkiye, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Zhenbei)
"Because the debris removal efforts are continuing in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of dead and injured will rise," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday in a televised address in the capital Ankara.
The World Health Organization warned that the death toll in the two countries could end up surpassing 20,000.
The earthquake-stricken region in Türkiye is also home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war in their homeland.
Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit2024-05-21 14:28
Riley's RBI single in 10th lifts Braves to 42024-05-21 14:07
Nichushkin records 1st career hat trick, Avalanche beat Jets 52024-05-21 13:33
Alcaraz earns another comfortable win in Madrid. Spaniard is making successful return from injury2024-05-21 13:18
Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Maryland ban on rifles known as assault weapons2024-05-21 13:03
Erick Fedde stars as White Sox sweep Rays with 42024-05-21 12:24
Oklahoma man beat his girlfriend up while she was pregnant2024-05-21 12:19
Nurse hat trick helps Toronto clinch top2024-05-21 12:12
'The Apprentice,' about a young Donald Trump, premieres in Cannes2024-05-21 12:12
Joe Biden wins Democratic primary in Puerto Rico2024-05-21 12:10
US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 20182024-05-21 13:43
Demolition workers discover mysterious 1002024-05-21 13:34
Police officer hiring in US increases in 2023 after years of decline, survey shows2024-05-21 13:16
Tour of Romandie win is career2024-05-21 13:14
Minnesota Uber and Lyft driver pay package beats deadline to win approval in Legislature2024-05-21 13:07
Stott and Realmuto homer, Walker makes a slick play as the Phillies win 82024-05-21 13:01
California Disney characters are unionizing decades after Florida peers2024-05-21 13:00
Runner dies after receiving emergency treatment at Nashville race, organizers say2024-05-21 12:38
What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?2024-05-21 12:31
Estrada, Yastrzemski hit back2024-05-21 12:12