So far more than 21,000 people have died and thousands have been injured in the massive earthquake that rocked Syria and Turkey on Monday. Round-the-clock rescue operations are on but snow and rain are adding to the difficulties of the survivors.
Here are 10 facts about the big story:
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The death toll in the Turkey-Syria earthquake has crossed 21,000. Officials say 17,674 people have died in Turkey and 3,377 in Syria, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 21,051.
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For the fourth day also, round-the-clock rescue efforts are being made to rescue those trapped under the debris.
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Some heavy destruction occurred between Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep, near the epicenter of the earthquake, with entire city blocks lying in ruins.
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An eyewitness in Turkey’s Gaziantep told NDTV that multi-storey buildings turned to dust in less than two seconds.
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The government said about 3,000 buildings collapsed in seven cities, including public hospitals.
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Cold, hunger and despair left hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
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The rescue after 79 hours of a 2-year-old boy and several others trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay raised spirits among exhausted search teams. But hopes were bleak that many more would be found alive among the ruins of towns and cities.
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India has launched “Operation Dost” to help Turkey and Syria after the earthquake. Under the operation, India has sent rescue teams, medical teams and other supplies to the two disaster-affected countries.
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The Indian Army has also set up a field hospital at Hatay which will be equipped with surgical and emergency wards.
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The United States today announced an initial $85 million package of emergency relief for Turkey and Syria. The US said the funds would go to partners on the ground to “provide urgently needed assistance for millions of people” through food, shelter and emergency health services.