Earthquake in Turkey & Syria: Children rescued from rubble as Turkey-Syria quake toll tops 9,600

• The death toll rises up to 9,600.
• Children are freezing from the cold.
• Frustration is rising as a result of the slow arrival of assistance.

ANKARA, TURKEY — Heartbreaking images of a newborn pulled alive from the wreckage and a distraught father clutching his dead daughter’s hand have shown the human cost of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey, which had claimed over 9,600 lives by Wednesday.

An improvised army of rescuers has labored in cold temperatures for two days and nights since the 7.8 magnitude quake to find individuals still entombed under the wreckage in various cities on either side of the border.

Also Read

Earthquake in Turkey & Syria: Newborn baby pulled out from rubble

Her mother went into labor soon after the accident and gave birth...

The official death toll from the disaster is now 7,100 in Turkey and 2,547 in Syria, bringing the total to 9,647 — However, if experts’ greatest predictions come true, that figure may more than treble.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, has cautioned that time is running out for the thousands of people who have been harmed and others who are still believed to be trapped.

It is now too late for Mesut Hancer, a resident of the Turkish city Kahramanmaras, which lies close to the epicenter.

He sat on the icy rubble, unable to speak, clutching his 15-year-old daughter Irmak’s hand while her body lay lifeless among the slabs of concrete and twisted rebar.

‘Children are freezing’

Even for those who have survived, the future is bleak.

Many people have sought shelter from the constant earthquakes, cold rain, and snow in mosques, schools, and even bus shelters, burning rubbish to stay warm.

Frustration is rising as a result of the slow arrival of assistance.

“I’m unable to bring my brother back from the wreckage. I’m unable to reclaim my nephew. Take a look around. For God’s sake, there is no state official here “In Kahramanmaras, Ali Sagiroglu stated.

“For two days we haven´t seen the state around here… Children are freezing from the cold,” he said.

Shops were closed in adjacent Gaziantep, there was no heat since gas lines had been shut to avoid explosions, and getting petrol was difficult.

Sixty-one-year-old homeowner Celal Deniz said the police had to intervene as restless crowds waiting for rescue teams “revolted”.

Another 100 people slept wrapped in blankets in the lounge of an airport terminal traditionally reserved for Turkish politicians and celebrities.

“We saw the buildings collapse, so we know we’re lucky to be alive,” said Zahide Sutcu, who was driving her two tiny children to the airport.

“But now our lives have so much uncertainty. How will I look after these children?”

A decade of civil conflict and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment had already damaged hospitals, ruined the economy, and caused energy, gasoline, and water shortages in northern Syria.

Even the thrill of rescuing a newborn baby was tinged with grief in the rebel-controlled hamlet of Jindayris.

She was still bound to her mother, who had been slain in the accident.

Also Read

Earthquake in Turkey & Syria: Turkey’s President Erdogan arrives at quake-hit region

Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached the area most affected by the earthquake. Many...