China News Service, February 8 (Xinhua) According to a British Sky News report on the 9th local time, the strong earthquake in southern Turkey has killed 15,865 people in Turkey and Syria, of which at least 12,873 were killed in Turkey.
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The picture shows the scene after the earthquake in Turkey, where many buildings collapsed.
According to reports, the disaster area is currently facing difficulties such as lack of equipment and professional rescue.
During a visit to Hatay province, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was impossible to prepare for such a disaster but "will not give up on any citizen".
Ozer Picard, who is helping with the search and rescue in Malatya, Turkey, told Sky News that he feared some of those trapped may have frozen to death as the temperature dropped to -6C.
Picard said in despair, "As of today, there is no hope for Malatya. No one can come out of the rubble alive." He said that the damage to the roads and the shortage of rescuers have greatly exacerbated the difficulty of rescue.
"It's so cold we can't hold anything with our hands. We need machines," Picard said.
Sky News quoted natural disaster experts as saying that the window of survival for the trapped is rapidly closing, but despite this, it is too early to give up hope.
"The average survival rate within 24 hours is 74 per cent, 22 per cent after 72 hours and 6 per cent by day five," said natural disaster expert Steven Godby.
David Alexander, professor of emergency planning and management at University College London, said the final death toll could be weeks away due to the sheer amount of debris scattered across Turkey and Syria.