Turkish Earthquake Dead Increased To 9,600 People, Refugees Need Tents And Food In Central Winter

JAKARTA - The death toll from the 7.8-SR earthquake that rocked Turkey on Monday continued to grow, with survivors requiring tents and food amid winter temperatures that punctured bones between 4 and -7 degrees Celsius.

The death toll from the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria has reached at least 9,638, according to authorities.

In Turkey, the death toll has risen to at least 7,108, with another 40,910 reportedly injured, according to SAKOM (Emergency Coordination Center and Crisis of the Turkish Ministry), as reported by CNN on February 8.

While in Syria, at least 2,530 people were reported killed in government-controlled areas and rebel-held territories.

Aid agencies and emergency workers said the death toll was likely to increase as many people were still trapped under the rubble, until freezing weather conditions hampered rescue efforts.

Separately, families south of Turkey and Syria spent the second night in freezing cold weather on Wednesday, as overwhelmed rescue teams tried to save people from the rubble, two days after a major earthquake that killed more.

In Turkey, dozens of bodies, some covered in blankets, sheets and other coverings in body bags, were lined up outside hospitals in Hatay Province.

Many people in the disaster zone are forced to sleep in their cars or in the streets under blankets, afraid to return to buildings due to trauma with the earthquake that occurred.

"Where's the tent, where's the food truck?" said Melek, 64, in the city of Antakya, southern Turkey, adding that he had not seen a rescue team.

"We haven't seen the distribution of food here, unlike previous disasters in our country. We survived the earthquake, but we're going to die here from hunger or cold here."

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. However, residents in damaged Turkish cities voiced anger and despair, assessing the response and response of authorities to be slow.

Monday's quake knocked down thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools, and apartment blocks, injuring tens of thousands, and causing many people to lose their homes in Turkey and northern Syria.

Turkish authorities said about 13.5 million people were affected in an area that stretches about 450 km (280 miles) from Adana west to Diyarbakir in the east. Meanwhile, in Syria, the earthquake killed people to Hama, which was about 100 kilometers from the epicenter.