‘RACE AGAINST TIME’

Earthquake Death Toll Reaches a Staggering 7,200 in Turkey and Syria

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency for three months in 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared a state of emergency for three months in 10 of Turkey’s 81 provinces after Monday’s catastrophic 4 a.m. earthquake. The death toll rose Tuesday evening to 5,434 in Turkey and 1,832 in Syria after the 7.8 quake, the deadliest to hit Turkey in over 20 years. The initial quake was followed by deadly aftershocks of up to 7.5 magnitude, and icy weather has impeded search and rescue efforts. Almost 6,000 buildings were razed. “Its now a race against time,” World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva, according to Reuters. “Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes.”