Key takeaways:
- Rescue workers from dozens of countries are trying to save as many people as possible after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
- A winter storm is making roads, some of which were damaged by the quake, almost impassable, making it difficult for rescue workers to reach those in need.
- Experts are warning that it is a “race against time” for rescue workers as they try to save as many people as possible.
Rescue workers in Turkey and Syria are facing a daunting task as they try to save as many people as possible after a devastating earthquake struck the region on Monday. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake caused whole building blocks to collapse in Turkey and northwest Syria, and is expected to be one of the deadliest quakes this decade.
Search teams and relief supplies have started pouring in from dozens of countries, including the United States, but people in some of the hardest hit areas said they felt they had been left to fend for themselves.
The situation is made worse by a winter storm that is compounding the misery by rendering many roads, some of them damaged by the quake, almost impassable. This has made it difficult for rescue workers to reach those in need of help.
“There is no state official here, for God’s sake,” said Ali Sagiroglu in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras. “For two days we haven’t seen the state around here…Children are freezing from the cold.”
The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was the largest recorded worldwide since a tremor in Nepal in 2015. Experts are warning that it is a “race against time” for rescue workers as they try to save as many people as possible.
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