Daniel Thorpe

Where are the rescuers? Turkey’s earthquake death toll rises above 4,000

Residents search for victims and survivors amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings in the village of Besnia near the twon of Harim, in Syria's rebel-held north-western Idlib province (Credit: Getty images)

Turkey is reeling after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 2,900 people and left hundreds more injured. More than 1,400 people in northern Syria are also believed to have been killed. The quake, which struck near the city of Gaziantep in southeast Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning, was felt as far away as Lebanon and Jordan, on the far side of the Mediterranean.

Another quake of 7.6 magnitude struck the nearby Kahramanmaraş region a few hours later at 13.27 local time (10.27 GMT), according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD). The images and video emerging from Turkey, showing flattened buildings and piles of rubble, are devastating. Desperate rescue operations are underway across much of southern Turkey, but survivors say that help in many areas has still not arrived – hours after the earthquake struck. Many of the victims are already desperately poor: 8.3

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