Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Toll crosses 24,000 amid rescue operations

Even as the rescue operations in quake-hit Turkey-Syria are underway, the death toll crossed 24,000. The winter freeze moreover exuberated the suffering of nearly a million persons who are believed to be in urgent need of food.

The epicentre of the earthquake, eastern city in Turkey, Kahramanmaras, with most number of casualties. The city was filled with people already displaced by the war, stated a report.

According to the United Nations, at least 8,70,000 people presently are in urgnet need of hot meals across the two countries. The UN said that in Syria alone upto 5.3 million people may have been made homeless.

Sivanka Dhanapala, the Syria representative of the UN High Commissioner for refugee said that the number is huge; Dhanapala added that the tragedy hit those already suffering mass displacement.

Despite tough conditions, rescuers have been continuing their search; the stories of those being rescued alive are a silver lining in the rather gloomy situation. A pregnant woman, Zahide Kaya, was pulled out of rubble alive after nearly 115 hours in Nurdagi area of Turkey.

Her daughter, Kubra (6) was rescued from ruins hours before her mother who was taken to hospital for treatment.

 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey on Monday

Xinhua news agency reported that a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck the country's southern province of Gaziantep a short time later, and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Kahramanmaras at 1:24 p.m. local time.