Rescuers in Turkey and Syria have entered a race against time for lack of equipment to find survivors under the rubble of buildings that collapsed due to a powerful earthquake on Monday that killed around 15,000 people.
110,000 people are involved in rescue operations in Turkey, the national emergency management said on Wednesday.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the area near the epicenter of the earthquake near the city of Gaziantep and the Turkish-Syrian border.
He faced growing frustration among survivors seeking loved ones or government help, and acknowledged the challenges facing emergency services following the 7.8 magnitude quake.
“It is impossible to prepare for such a catastrophe,” Erdogan said. “We will not abandon our fellow citizens.
As factors that influenced the work of the emergency services, he noted the winter weather and the destruction of the Hatay airport runway.
