Earthquake levels city of Antakya in southern Turkey
The Turkish city of Antakya, one of the hardest‐hit towns in
the earthquake zone, has been nearly destroyed by the massive
7.8 quake that struck on 6th February. Tall apartment buildings
were flattened, trapping residents who were sleeping when the
quake struck in the early morning hours. Thousands are
__________ to be buried in their homes. Most of the city was
heavily damaged and rescuers have been working around the
clock to pull survivors from under the rubble, racing against time
in cold weather. Many residents were left homeless and had to
spend nights outdoors, burning debris to keep warm as overnight
temperatures dropped below freezing. Workers pulled a man in
his 30s out of the ruins as a jubilant crowd burst into cheers and
tears. Not long after, they found an elderly woman. Then, a 10‐
year‐old girl was also rescued: the child was under the rubble for
90 hours. These moments of hope among the devastation keep
them going as darkness falls. More than 80 hours after the quake,
rescuers using pails along with other equipment, found a man and
his mother, and pulled them out alive. Amid the rubble, a group
of rescuers were able to pull out lost family members alive.
Even as more help arrives, hope for finding survivors
dwindles. Family members wait in the cold to see if their loved
ones will be found, alive or dead. There are more than 100 bodies
waiting for identification in a makeshift morgue outside the
Antakya hospital. More than 600 aftershocks are slowing recovery
efforts and make the task more dangerous. Little aid from the
government has reached the city and the need is overwhelming.
People walk the streets in tears, dazed. There is no place to go.
Everything is covered in dust. Even with some 120,000 rescuers
across Turkey and Syria now taking part in the effort, the task is
daunting. With every passing hour, the likelihood of finding
survivors diminishes.