On the morning of the 6th (local time), the death toll exceeded 16,000 just three days after a strong earthquake struck southeastern Turkey. The number of injured also reached nearly 60,000. There are cases where rescuers were rescued after 60 hours after the earthquake occurred, but experts are expressing concerns as the 72 hours, which is considered the golden time, approaches. The international community has launched support fires, but it will take time for the actual rescue as the land, air, and sea routes are all blocked by the earthquake.
According to CNN, as of the morning of the 9th, a total of 16,035 people died from the earthquake. In Turkey, where the death toll rises by the thousands in a matter of hours, the death toll rises to 12,873, while Syria has also killed at least 3,162. The combined number of injured in the two places announced so far is at least 58,087, approaching 60,000.
Western countries and international organizations, as well as the warring Russia and Ukraine, and the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine all over the world are united in providing rescue support, but the road to the actual affected area is difficult. This is because not only airports and ports have become unusable in the earthquake-stricken area, but also roads and bridges have collapsed, so it takes time to move to the southeast. In this situation, it is difficult to move rescue workers aside from the relief goods.
Earthquake search and rescue expert Rody Korua told the New York Times (NYT), “Usually, up to three days after an earthquake is the golden time to save lives.” If there is even a fatal trauma, the golden time is only less than an hour. David Lewis, an international rescue expert, explained, “Some survivors can be found 20 days after the earthquake, but conditions such as temperature, drinking water, amount of food, and how they are confined determine this.” However, the temperature in Gaziantep and other places has dropped to minus 6 degrees Celsius. He added, “This earthquake occurred in the middle of the night and there was no time to find a safe place, so I can only hope that there was an empty space to protect the building from the upper floors or roof when it collapsed.”
According to the BBC, the United Nations generally suspends search and rescue attempts 5 to 7 days after an earthquake. The Middle East branch of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said, “There are not enough daily necessities, as well as bags to collect the bodies. After a while, properly handling the body may be the key,” said the BBC, earnestly appealing for support.
Beyond the original World Health Organization (WHO) official’s prediction that 20,000 deaths could occur, the US Geological Survey (USGS) on the 8th predicted a 14% chance of more than 100,000 deaths. There is a possibility that the number of deaths will exceed that of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 (18,500 deaths).
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.