Rescue hopes fade as death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquake hits 12,873

There are fading hopes of rescuing more victims trapped in rubble of the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday after officials put the death toll at over 16,000 as at Wednesday night.

The DHA news agency reported that rescuers have pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings on Thursday but notes that hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after the catastrophic earthquake and a series of aftershocks.

According to the Turkish disaster management agency around 12,873 people have been confirmed killed, while more than 60,000 have been injured.

Read also:Buhari commiserates with Turkey, Syria over devastating earthquake

It added that on the Syrian side of the border, 3,162 have been reported dead and more than 5,000 injured.

Experts have predicted that the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly. However, they said rescue efforts should not be abandoned just yet

“The first 72 hours are considered to be critical. The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%,” Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England, said.

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