Snow, rain and freezing conditions impede search and rescue operations as the quake death toll neared 1,400.
According to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the powerful earthquake originated in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş.
During the rescue operations, nine people were rescued from the debris of the destroyed buildings in Gaziantep, Malatya, and Kilis, which were affected by the earthquake centered in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş.
The rescue teams pulled two people out of the wreckage of the four-story building on Gaziantep Gazi Muhtar Boulevard, while six people were rescued from the demolished three-story building on Yeni Ocak Street in Kilis’s Yavuz Sultan district. Meanwhile, one person was rescued from the destroyed apartment building in Malatya’s Zafer Mahallesi.
Three more people, one of whom is disabled, were rescued from the debris of the eight-story building in Diyarbakır’s Bağlar district.
According to the information received from the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency Earthquake Department, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 occurred in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 4:17 a.m.
The earthquake magnitude measured at 7.4 initially was later revised to 7.7.
The earthquake, which occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles), was felt in many cities across Türkiye.
Hatay Airport runway splits in 2
runway of Hatay Airport in southern Türkiye split in half after a major 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Türkiye’s southeast province Monday morning.
Flights were immediately halted after the earthquake severely damaged the airport.
The earthquake occurred at a depth of 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş at 4:17 a.m. (1:17 a.m. GMT) time, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency Earthquake Department (AFAD) was felt in many cities across Türkiye.
Civil flights to Kahramanmaraş and Gaziantep Airports were suspended after the earthquake so that planes carrying search and rescue teams and relief supplies could reach the region.
Only planes carrying aid and search and rescue teams are allowed to land and take off from the two airports. On the other hand, Hatay Airport, whose runway was damaged due to the earthquake, was closed to all flights.
Search and rescue efforts continue in Hatay, where many buildings were damaged due to the 7.7 magnitude earthquake, the epicenter of which is in the Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş and affecting 10 provinces.
AFAD, UMKE, 112 Emergency Health, police, gendarmerie and fire brigade teams were dispatched to the city center and districts to carry out search and rescue work.
In Iskenderun, a part of the State Hospital, the Catholic Church, Mithatpaşa Primary School and many buildings were destroyed. It was learned that some of the damaged roads in the district were also closed to transportation.
Teams continue their search and rescue efforts in Kazım Karabekir and Şaban Akın Uçar Street in Numune Evler District in Dörtyol district.
Survivors try to keep children warm in freezing conditions
In Malatya, Turkey, 25-year-old Ozgul Konakci left a building with her family and saw that five other buildings around them had collapsed, trapping their neighbours under the rubble.
“They are trying to rescue them still, but it is very cold and snowing. We don’t know what to do, we are just waiting,” she says.
“Some people wanted to go back to their houses because it was too cold, But then we felt strong aftershocks and they were out again. They could at least get some clothes for our children, too.”
She adds: “We were only worried about having some clothes for our children to keep them warm.”
Source International agencies
