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NEW earthquake hits Turkey in early hours as death toll nears 5,000: Screams of survivors freezing to death beneath rubble fill the air as rescue teams battle the elements through the night to save lives
- The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 1.2 miles in central Turkey
- Came as death toll in Turkey alone rose past 3,300 early on Tuesday morning
A third earthquake hit Turkey early Tuesday morning after two others devastated the country and its neighbour Syria a day earlier, killing at least 4,800 people and trapping scores more under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
The 5.8-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 1.2 miles in central Turkey, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, as rescue efforts in the two countries continued as dawn broke and as the death toll in Turkey alone rose past 3,300.
A winter storm causing near-freezing temperatures has been hampering those working desperately to free people from the rubble of collapsed buildings, with the cold weather making the need to reach trapped survivors even more urgent.
In the badly hit Turkish city of Hatay, residents helplessly called out as the screams and shouts of those freezing under the rubble filled the air. Desperate to reach them in time, rescuers have been digging with their bare hands.
Meanwhile, tens of thousands have been left homeless and sleeping in their cars or searching for temporary accommodation after thousands of buildings were brought down on both sides of the border, sparking a growing humanitarian crisis in a region already ravaged by the years-long Syrian civil war.
A vast international response will be required to tackle the crisis. Several international rescue missions have rushed to Turkey and Syria after both countries called for help.
This is a breaking news story. More to follow…
A third earthquake hit Turkey early Tuesday morning after two others devastated the country and its neighbour Syria a day earlier, killing at least 4,800 people and trapping scores more under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Pictured: A 14-year-old boy is seen being taken out of the rubble of a collapsed building approximately 24 hours after the first quake during search and rescue efforts in Kahramanmaras, Turkey
Pictured: An aerial view of collapsed buildings inKahramanmaras, Turkey on Tuesday morning
Pictured: A woman cries while embracing another person, near the rubble of a destroyed building, following an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey
Pictured: People gather on the rubble as the search for survivors continues, in the aftermath of the earthquake, in Aleppo, Syria, February 7, 2023