The death toll in Turkey and Syria which were hit by a strong earthquake exceeds 15 thousand.
According to official data, as of Thursday (January 9) morning, 12,391 bodies have been recovered in Turkey and 2,992 in Syria. In total, the death toll now stands at 15,383.
The most affected by the earthquake is the Turkish-held province. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the region on Wednesday. There he was apparently questioned about the slow rescue process. He said that the amount of damage is very high. And it is impossible to prepare to deal with such a big disaster. But still, he promised that everyone will be rescued.
Most of the buildings in the area have collapsed. Neighbourhood after neighbourhood is mixed with dust.
Meanwhile, although the official death toll has been said to be 15,000, the number is anticipated to increase. Because thousands of people are still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Experts said that three days have passed since the earthquake, and the chances of surviving those who are still trapped under the rubble have become slimmer.
Steven Godbe, who is a natural disaster expert at Nottingham Trent University in the UK, said, 'In the first 24 hours of a disaster, victims have a 74 per cent chance of survival. After 72 hours (which is three days) it drops to 22 per cent. And on the fifth day, the chance of survival of an injured or victim comes to 6 per cent.
However, this expert said, despite this, hope cannot be given up now.