In Turkey’s worst quake-hit area, desperate screams heard from those trapped in the rubble
- Rescuers raced to find survivors in the wreckage of thousands of buildings in Turkey and Syria brought down by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake
- In Turkey’s hard-hit Hatay province, many people reported relatives being trapped under the rubble with no aid or rescue teams arriving
“They’re making noises but nobody is coming,” Deniz cried out, holding his hands to his head as he railed against the lack of efforts to rescue those trapped under rubble after a powerful earthquake killed thousands in Turkey and Syria.
Desperate screams for help could be heard from those trapped in collapsed buildings in the Mediterranean coastal province of Hatay where people tried to keep warm around bonfires in cold rainy weather.
Hatay, which borders northwest Syria, is the worst-hit province in Turkey with at least 872 people killed. Residents complained of inadequate emergency response and rescuers said they have struggled to get equipment.
Deniz cried as he pointed to a destroyed building in which his mother and father were stuck, awaiting emergency workers.
“We’re devastated, we’re devastated. My God!” he said. “They’re calling out. They’re saying, ‘Save us”, but we can’t save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning.”
Rescuers have struggled to cope with the scale of destruction across southern Turkey and northwest Syria, with the total death toll rising above 5,000 on Tuesday morning.