SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Turkey is now over 6,000 people, with more victims being discovered every hour.
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A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit near Gaziantep, Turkey, in the early hours of Monday, followed by another 7.5-magnitude tremor just after midday. Rescue crews are rushing to the earthquake disaster zone along the Turkish-Syrian border, but they've been delayed by a severe snowstorm.
"People have been trying to rescue themselves and their families by themselves with their bare hands and it’s extremely cold right now in most of the earthquake sites," Gözde Çağrı Özköse, the International Editor of the Mesopotamian News Agency, told KCBS Radio.
In some cases, rescue crews are now being met with anger by survivors who are frustrated by the government's slow response and the fact that so many new buildings collapsed in the quake. Özköse said crews haven't even begun to look under all the rubble.
"Earthquake experts say that there'll be around 20,000, maybe more, deaths," she estimated.
Around 17,000 people died in Turkey's last major earthquake in 1999. This led to changes in seismic safety standards, but some Turks say the government's corruption has allowed corners to be cut and building codes not being enforced.
If you'd like to help with the rescue and recovery effort, donations can be sent to the Bridge to Turkey Fund.
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