More than 45,000 people have died in the earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, according to the latest toll, which is likely to rise.
Key points
The death toll in Turkey stands at 39,672, while more than 5,800 have died in neighbouring Syria. The situation in Syria has remained unchanged for days.
At the same time, approximately 264,000 houses were destroyed in Turkey, and in one village, Kahramanmaras, which had 50 houses, only three of them were saved.
While several international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, domestic teams continued to search through flattened buildings on Saturday, hoping to find more survivors.
On Friday, 11 days after the earthquake, three people were pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey.
40-year-old Hakan Yasinoglu was rescued in Hatay 278 hours after the earthquake, Reuters reported. Earlier, Usman Halebiye (14) and Mustafa Awsi (34) were rescued in Antioch.
Aid groups say survivors will need help for months because so much critical infrastructure has been destroyed.
Earthquake in Turkey: mourning Atsuku, whose death was confirmed in the rubble
Among the victims was Christian Atsu, a 31-year-old Ghanaian footballer from Hatespur who was in a collapsed apartment building and has since disappeared, with only his manager, Murat Uzunhemed, coming to confirm with his statements the player’s death after a 12-day search for him.
“Christian Atsu was found and died in a tragic way,” he said in a written statement about Atsu, who was found in the ruins of a house in Antioch that was levelled by the earthquake that struck the city of Kahramanmaras.
Fate played such a cruel game against the 31-year-old winger that Hatespur managing director Fatih Ilek revealed that the 31-year-old had booked flight tickets a day before the earthquake on February 5 at 11 p.m. and was Atsu. He cancelled them out after his own winning goal in the 97th minute against Kasimba.
“He didn’t play against Gaziantep, but he scored the winning goal in the last minute against Kasimbasa.” Actually, he was going abroad to visit his family.
But his ticket was cancelled because he played well and scored. The earthquake occurred at 04:00, and his flight arrived at 23:00. Cancel the ticket. “An absolute tragedy,” he characteristically declared hours before the tragic news of his death was confirmed.
Anguish and indignation for the lost
It is noteworthy that neither Turkey nor Syria have announced how many people are still missing after the earthquake.
Simultaneously, families who are still waiting for their loved ones express their outrage at the corrupt buildings and misguided urban development that has resulted in the destruction of thousands of homes and businesses.
Turkey has vowed to investigate anyone responsible for the building collapse and has ordered the detention of more than 100 suspects.
The United Nations on Thursday appealed for more than $1 billion in funding for Turkey’s aid operation and began collecting $400 million for Syrians.
