The death toll from the catastrophic earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose to more than 15,000 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of collapsed houses in the affected area, Turkey’s disaster management agency said on Thursday.
The agency said 12,391 people had been confirmed dead in Turkey after the earthquake early Monday morning and a series of aftershocks, which toppled thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey.
Across the border in Syria, another 2,902 people were reported to have been killed.
Rescue teams continued to pull people alive from damaged buildings, but hope was beginning to fade amid freezing temperatures more than three full days since the quake struck.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the hard-hit Hatay province on Wednesday, where residents criticized government efforts and said rescuers were slow to arrive.
Erdogan, who faces a tough re-election battle in May, reacted to mounting frustration by acknowledging problems with the emergency response to Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake, but said winter weather had been a factor. The quake also destroyed the runway at Hatay Airport, further disrupting the response.
“It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster,” Erdogan said. “We will not leave any of our citizens unattended.” He also hit back at critics, saying that “disgraceful people” were spreading “lies and slander” about the government’s actions.
Teams from more than two dozen countries have joined tens of thousands of local emergency personnel in the effort. But the scale of destruction from the quake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense and spread over such a wide area that many people were still waiting for help.
Experts said the window of survival for those trapped under rubble or unable to obtain basic necessities was closing fast. At the same time, they said that it was too early to give up hope.
“The first 72 hours are considered critical,” said Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England. “The average survival rate within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and on the fifth day it is 6%.”
