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Hopes Fade of Finding Survivors in Turkey-Syria Quake as Death Toll Tops 19,300
Soldiers carry a 20-day-old baby who was rescued 59 hours after a massive earthquake in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, Feb. 8, 2023. (Ibrahim Oner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Hopes Fade of Finding Survivors in Turkey-Syria Quake as Death Toll Tops 19,300

Hopes were fading Thursday of finding more survivors in the rubble after a massive earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early Monday morning, as the crucial first 72 hours passed. Rescue workers began to focus on ensuring the survival of those who were injured or made homeless in the disaster, issuing urgent calls for food, medicines and shelter against the biting winter cold.

The combined death toll in the two countries reached 19,300 by Thursday afternoon, reports said.

It is unclear exactly how many people still remain trapped beneath the rubble of the nearly 5,000 buildings said to have been destroyed in the initial 7.8-magnitude earthquake and a second 7.5-magnitude temblor some nine hours later.

Survivors remain exposed to the elements, sleeping in the open, in cars and tents, away from buildings that have not fallen, out of fear of aftershocks. Turkish officials said that there have been 650 aftershocks since the two earthquakes struck.

Small moments of success remained Thursday, however, as a toddler and her father were pulled from the ruins of a building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, close to the Syrian border. A 20-day-old baby was also found alive in the rubble in the city 59 hours after the quake, but rescuers were still trying to locate his mother who was with him when it struck.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday visited Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the two earthquakes, to personally see the destruction and observe the progress of the relief efforts. The president, who is running for reelection in the summer, acknowledged that there had been issues ranging from impassable roads and difficulties for rescue teams and aid attempting to land at airports, but told reporters that “we are better today.”

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