More than 11,000 people are now confirmed dead after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria.
Thousands of buildings collapsed after an ‘Armageddon-like’ aftershock sent people running.
WATCH – Car cam video captures moment building collapses after earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey pic.twitter.com/CbZUhhv1ki
— The Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 7, 2023
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The death toll is expected to rise.
The earthquake struck 20 miles from Gaziantep.
The historic fortress of Gaziantep collapsed.
Thousands of people are feared dead after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the southern region #Turkey and the answer #Syria Last night, resulting in the collapse of many buildings.
This photo shows the historic fort #Gaziantape Before and after the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/jrh5ZzaAzH
— Thomas Van Linge (@ThomasVLinge) February 6, 2023
The AP reported:
As hopes of finding survivors faded, rescue teams stretching across Turkey and Syria searched for signs of life amid the rubble of thousands of buildings that collapsed in the world’s deadliest earthquake in more than a decade on Wednesday. The confirmed death toll has surpassed 11,000.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the particularly hard-hit Hatay province, where more than 3,300 people have died and entire areas have been destroyed. Residents criticized the government’s response, saying rescuers were slow to arrive.
Erdogan, who faces a tough re-election battle in May, acknowledged “shortcomings” in the response to Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake but said winter weather was a factor. The earthquake destroyed the runway at Hatay’s airport, further hampering the response.
Erdogan said, ‘It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster. “We will not leave any of our citizens unattended.” He also hit back at critics, saying “disreputable people” were spreading “lies and slander” about the government’s response.