Turkey-Syria earthquake: Fresh tremors of magnitude 4.7 jolts country, death toll tops 34,000

Fresh tremors of magnitude of 4.7 jolted Turkey on February 13, putting the nation into a deeper crisis even as death toll mounted. Despite the fact that the death toll from the February 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 34,000, rescue teams are working tirelessly, looking for survivors amid the rubble..

Turkish authorities began legal action in response to building collapses nearly a week after the worst earthquakes to hit Turkey and Syria.

The death toll from the February 6 earthquake and major aftershocks in both countries surpassed 34,000 and appeared to be set to continue rising as the odds of finding additional survivors increased. It was Turkey's deadliest earthquake since 1939.

On February 12, business owners emptied their stores in a central district of one of the worst-hit cities, Antakya, in southern Turkey, to prevent looters from stealing merchandise.

From other cities, residents and aid workers reported worsening security, with numerous reports of businesses and collapsed homes being robbed.

President Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the government will firmly deal with looters in the face of questions regarding his response to the earthquake as he prepares for a national election that is anticipated to be the most difficult of his two decades in power.

The disaster in Syria struck the rebel-held northwest hardest, displacing numerous individuals who had previously been displaced multiple times by a decade-long civil war. In comparison to government-held areas, the region has received little assistance.

From the Turkey-Syria border, where only one crossing is open for U.N. aid supplies, United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths tweeted, "We have so far failed the people in north-west Syria."

Also read : Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll surpases 28,000; rescue efforts continue