Turkish authorities announce that search operations for those missing following the earthquakes are coming to an end
Almost two weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Turkish authorities announce that the search operations for the missing are coming to an end, on the grounds that the chances of discovering survivors under the ruins are practically exhausted. More than 46 thousand people have died in the catastrophic earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, and the death toll is increasing by the day, while about 350 thousand apartments in Turkey have been destroyed.
The catastrophic earthquakes of February 6 in Turkey and Syria were followed by about 6,000 aftershocks, the Turkish Agency for Natural Disaster Management announced. They were recorded every three to four minutes, and 40 of the aftershocks had a magnitude greater than five. Specialists in seismology predict that such aftershocks could also occur in the coming period. Millions of people have been left homeless as authorities try to manage the calamity that has struck Turkey. Antakya is one of the most affected cities. In this locality, the earthquakes leveled numerous houses and historical monuments. "It was a beautiful area where we gathered the groups of tourists. Old houses in Antakya, old streets... All destroyed, unfortunately."; "My darling is gone... The world has ended for me." Rescue teams are still hoping to find the missing and are working in the middle of an apocalyptic landscape. In the city of Nurdagi, in the Gaziantep region, the earthquake left the population living in tents. People say there is no hope for the future for this area. *"I lost everything, the clinic and the house. Life here is over. It will take a long time to get everything back. This man is my friend, he has no place to live, he lives in a tent. Nobody knows what to do.”; "I don't want to see this, everything is destroyed. People left, houses were ruined. Nothing left. I don't know how I will survive. Not just me, but others in this area too. How will they survive?” The 12-year-old boy who was extracted by rescuers 296 hours after the earthquake, died in hospital. His parents are out of danger. Turkey's death toll stands at 40,642, while neighboring Syria has reported more than 5,800 dead, a number unchanged for several days.
