Earthquake Death Toll in Turkey, Syria Tops 41,000
The death toll in the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria 10 days ago has risen to above 41,000, with hundreds of thousands of people injured, while rescue workers pulled at least two women from the rubble of a collapsed building on Wednesday, more than 200 hours after the 7.8-magnitude temblor struck. One of the women was 77, and the second, 45, survived with her two children and first asked what day it was after being rescued, according to reports.
Rescue teams said Wednesday they still heard the voices of survivors under the rubble on Wednesday.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to visit areas affected by the earthquakes in Turkey on Thursday.
Meanwhile, thousands of Syrian refugees who had fled to Turkey during the country’s ongoing civil war lined up at border crossings on Wednesday to return to home for temporary visits. The rush to the border came after an announcement on social media by Syrian officials at a main border crossing that Turkey would allow them to leave for three to six months and then return, the New York Time reported.
