Turkey-Syria earthquake: world’s nations rush to help as death toll rises
- Earthquake death toll is expected to rise as rescuers look for trapped people in the rubble of toppled buildings
- Governments from Asia to Europe to the Middle East are preparing recovery teams and emergency supplies
Countries have rushed to dispatch aid, personnel and equipment to help rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria after a huge earthquake on Monday killed thousands.
Rescuers searched through the frigid night into Tuesday, hoping to pull more survivors from the rubble after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake toppled thousands of buildings across a wide region.
The death toll rose above 5,000 on Tuesday, official data showed. At least 3,419 people have died in Turkey and 1,602 in government- and rebel-controlled parts of Syria, bringing the total to at least 5,021, officials and medical sources said.
There are fears that the toll will rise inexorably, with World Health Organization officials estimating up to 20,000 may have died.
The European Union has mobilised search and rescue teams to help Turkey, while the 27-nation bloc’s Copernicus satellite system has been activated to provide emergency mapping services.