Over 11,500 deaths from the earthquake in Turkey, a toll destined to grow



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Over 11,500 deaths from the earthquake in Turkey, a toll destined to grow

The powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria has caused a very high number of victims, over 11 thousand, a number destined, unfortunately, to grow. Furthermore, there is an incredible number of displaced persons, more than 298,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the earthquake.

This was reported by Syrian state media. The number appears to refer only to parts of Syria under government control, not those controlled by other factions in the country's northwest, which is closer to the epicenter of Monday's earthquake.

55 hours after the start of the earthquake, a mother and her three daughters were rescued in Kahramanmaras. Songül Karpuz, 37, the twins Ecrin and Zeynep, aged 6, and little Azra Karpuz, aged 2 and a half, were found in the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in the Åžazibey district.

This was reported by the Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet. Not only people, even animals are protagonists of incredible rescues. In Hatay, Turkey, a dog was rescued from the rubble 55 hours after the earthquake began. The Guardian reports it.

China has offered nearly 5 million dollars in aid to Syria for the earthquake, with its epicenter in Turkey, which struck the north of the country, and which caused a total of over eleven thousand deaths. This was announced by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, explaining that the figure includes two million dollars in cash for assistance and the country's urgent needs.

In Hatay, Turkey, an eight-year-old boy was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building after about 52 hours. The BBC reports it. Yigit Cakmak was transported from the building from which he emerged to his mother who welcomed him with a big hug.

The Turkish authorities this morning gave the go-ahead for the opening of two border crossings with Syria to allow the entry of humanitarian aid into the Syrian disaster areas hit by the earthquake. This was said a little while ago by the Syrian chief negotiator Badr Jamus, in charge of managing relations between Ankara and the Syrian opposition who govern north-western Syria with Turkish approval.

European satellites of Copernicus Rapid Mapping highlight the damage of the areas affected by the violent earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria. They relate to 6 cities, including Antioch, Adana and Osmaniye, and those relating to 14 other areas will arrive in the next few hours.

Valuable maps to support relief efforts made with images collected from a wide range of European satellites, such as the Sentinels of the Copernicus programme, processed and analyzed by the technicians of e-Geos, the Italian company that coordinates the European Copernicus Rapid Mapping service.