Turkey-Syria quake: Death toll crosses 21,000 as hopes fade for survivors
Though rescue operations are still in full swing
Hundred hours since the disastrous earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, the death toll has crossed 21,000.
Though rescue operations are still in full swing, the hopes of finding survivors under the rubble have faded due to the extreme temperature and logistical hurdles.
While at least 3,377 people were killed in Syria (2,030 in rebel-held areas and 1,347 deaths in government-controlled parts), Turkey pegs the death rate at 17,674.
Amid mounting despair, the rescue of a two-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, raised the spirits.
Other reports say a mother and her six-year-old daughter have also been rescued from a collapsed house in the city of Kahramanmaraş on Thursday.
A family of three, including two brothers and their mother, were also rescued in Pazarcik in Kahramanmaras province.
But, since then, the temperature has plummeted. Freezing conditions and unavailability of water and food have lowered the chances of finding survivors from the mountain of debris.
