Earthquake deaths pass 11,000 in Turkey, Syria as anger, desperation mount: Live Updates
Desperation is growing in the aftermath of the massive earthquakes that rocked Turkey, Syria and beyond as international rescue efforts pour into the region.
These live updates have now ended.
Ezgi Akin (Istanbul), Adam Lucente (New York City), Amberin Zaman (London), Salim Essaid (Dubai), Rina Bassist (Paris), Jared Szuba and Elizabeth Hagedorn (Washington) contributed to this report.
Efforts are continuing to rescue thousands of people still trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings across Turkey’s southern region since two massive earthquakes struck on Monday. The combined death toll in Turkey and neighboring Syria has exceeded the 11,000 mark and is expected to climb amid harsh weather conditions and what critics charge is a bungled response by the government of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish government has declared a state of emergency, mobilizing rescue teams including military servicemen as aid pours in from across the world. Many describe the temblors as the worst natural disaster to affect Turkey in modern times. Social media has been overflowing with pleas for assistance since the first quake struck Kahramanmaras, its epicenter, at 4:17 a.m. local time.
