Death toll in Turkey-Syria earthquakes tops 11,000
out of Turkey in the horrific aftermath of the two earthquakes there, and horrific is a word here. Visuals say today could be the last good day for rescuing survivors from the rubble amid this very cold weather. The death toll is already above 11,000 in Turkey and neighboring Syria. 11,000 people have died in this. Chris Livesey is in southern Turkey for us, where people are doing their very best to keep hope alive. Chris, good morning to you. The pictures and the stories that we're hearing are just soul-crushing.
Good morning, Gail. Behind me is an apartment complex that was completely leveled. And beside me are the family members of the people who once lived inside. They haven't gotten any sleep. They're hoping, praying, someone they love is still alive. And today could not be more crucial. The first three days after an earthquake are when the probabilities of finding survivors are the highest.
And today is day three. Life snatched from the clutches of death and the triumph of the human spirit, both to help others and to survive. This time, an entire family plucked from beneath a mountain of rebar and concrete in Syria, celebrating instead of grieving. That's what keeps rescuers and volunteers going, enduring one's shattering death after another, knowing, hoping that eventually life is waiting, pleading just beneath the surface, like this little boy in Turkey, restored to life, one bottle cap of water at a time. But for every life saved, countless more are lost. Yesterday in Syria, a baby was born amid the rubble, still tied by her umbilical cord to her mother, believed in her final act to have shielded her daughter's body with her own. Today, along with the newborn's father, four siblings and aunt, she was laid to rest.
Yet the search for glimmers of hope, like her orphaned daughter, goes on. That remarkable baby was found with lacerations, bruises and hypothermia, the types of symptoms that USAID workers no doubt expect. Indeed, we just spoke to US Ambassador Jeff Flake, who tells us 161 personnel and 12 sniffer dogs have just arrived. David? Good news. Chris Livesey, thank you so much.
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