Death toll rises and rescue operations dwindle in the aftermath of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Editor’s note: Graphic content. The following article contains photographs of civilian casualties and injured children.

A search and rescue team is seen taking responsibility for rescuing 36-year-old Murat Babuglan from the rubble 88 hours after a magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquake struck several provinces of Turkey including Osmaniye on February 09, 2023.

Ahmed Izji | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images

Fears of a “minor disaster” eased temporarily on Friday with a wave of dramatic rescue operations that saw survivors pulled from the rubble four days after an earthquake devastated Turkey and Syria, killing more than 23,300 people.

Emergency services, volunteers and families have suffered though with little hope for those still trapped in sub-zero temperatures. Corpses wrapped in blankets lined the streets as residents crowded over the fires as the devastation created makeshift morgues and shelters for the living.

The government and aid groups distributed millions of hot meals, as well as tents and blankets, but aid was still struggling to reach many in need – leading to anger in southern Turkey and northern Syria, where civil war has exacerbated the difficulties.

But in Kahramanmaras, near the epicenter of Monday’s 7.8-magnitude quake, NBC News witnessed one of many rescue operations that offered a glimmer of hope to the millions affected.

Dozens of rescuers clambered around a 57-year-old woman who was still conscious when she was pulled from the rubble of a building.

Wrapped in a gold-colored emergency blanket, she was taken to the hospital.

Murat Kokoktecer, one of the many rescuers at the site, was the first to hear the woman’s voice. Kokoktaser told NBC News she survived days under the rubble because she was trapped in an isolated air pocket.

“It was inside a 20-inch space where there was enough air, and that’s how it survived,” he said. “It was a miracle, thank God.”

“This is the eighth person I have rescued alive. God willing, I still have hope,” he added, smiling, as he stood in front of the rocky rubble and jagged wires rising from the ground.

In Gaziantep, tears of joy flowed early Friday when 17-year-old Adnan Mehmet Korkut was pulled from the rubble fully conscious, after 94 hours trapped in the basement of a collapsed apartment building.

According to news agencies, the young man, who was unable to move for four days and determined not to starve to death, survived by drinking his own urine.

Hulya Kabakulak is evacuated after being rescued 90 hours later, as the search continues for survivors, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 9, 2023.

Umit Bektas | Reuters

A video showed his mother, Bucket Buckeyes, crying with joy, hugging and kissing him as he was carried on a stretcher.

And she said, “My son does not leave me alone for an hour. God bless my son, who does not leave me alone for an hour. May everyone be blessed too,” as those around her responded, Amen. . ”

One of the rescuers was beaming with joy, a woman named Jasmine, and she hugged the teenager who seemed remarkably clear after his ordeal.

“I have a son just like you. I swear to you, I haven’t slept for four days,” she said, tenderly holding Korkut’s face as he looked into his eyes with tears. “I’ve been trying to get you out, I love you so much.”

Despite the moments of joy on the ground, the death toll continued to rise and the focus was also shifting to fears of a “minor disaster” for those who still lack warm shelter, food and water across the border region, which is home to more than 13.5 million people.

The World Health Organization said survivors urgently need vital support to provide basic necessities such as clean water and shelter in the deteriorating weather conditions.

“We are in real danger of seeing a secondary disaster that may harm more people than the primary disaster, if we do not act with the same intent and intensity as we do on the search and rescue side,” the WHO incident said. Earthquake Director, Rob Holden at a World Health Organization press conference on Wednesday.

A woman sits next to the body of her nephew in Kahramanmaras, on February 9, 2023, three days after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey.

cos weights | AFP | Getty Images

The need is particularly acute in rebel-held areas of northwest Syria, where it has grappled with 12 years of civil war and now the border crossing is almost out of reach for international aid after an earthquake destroyed roads.

The United States is pushing for more safe passage of UN humanitarian supplies across the Turkish border into the region.

The images, taken by Maxar Technologies, a US defense contractor based in Colorado, show the extent of damage to infrastructure in places like Nordağı, Turkey.

A bird’s-eye view of before and after the earthquakes shows granaries that exploded after the earthquake, covering the ground with grain.

In a statement on Friday, the United Nations World Food Program said it provided much-needed food aid, mainly hot meals, food packs and ready-to-eat rations, to about 115,000 people in Syria and Turkey in the first four days. Since the earthquakes hit the area.

“For thousands of people affected by earthquakes, food is one of the most important needs right now, and our priority is to get it to the people who need it quickly,” said Corinne Fleischer, WFP Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

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