Death toll increases in Turkey-Syria quake

In Chris Morning Megan, they say the first 72 hours after a major earthquake are critical, in that timeframe there's still a chance to reach people who are trapped under collapsed buildings. This morning, rescuers are still finding them. In so many cities in Turkey, scenes like this are unfolding. Volunteers have located a 9-year-old girl trapped in a concrete prison that was once the apartment where she lives with her family. They pulled her out of a tiny crevice, still in her pajamas. Like so many people, she was sound asleep when disaster hit. In the Turkish city of Adana, it's a race to find people who were buried alive by the quake.

Volunteers are digging through a mountain of rubble that was once a building. They're using buckets to remove the debris and often no tools but their hands. And sometimes they just stop to listen for the sound of people crying for help who might be trapped underneath. Sometimes they hear them and bring them out. In Turkey and in Syria, the 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes have caused a staggering amount of damage.

In Turkey alone, 6,000 buildings have collapsed. More than 200 aftershocks have rolled through the area, causing even more buildings to come down. In the Syrian city of Aleppo, all the shaking has made many structures unstable. It's hard to predict when they will go. Another factor is the weather. It's freezing cold. Humanitarian organizations are struggling to find tents, blankets and other supplies for up to 150,000 people who are now homeless.

Many of them are afraid to go back to their homes. This woman is staying in a shelter with her family. Since the quake hit, she's too afraid to return home. She says, from the terror, the fear, we just couldn't stay. The building was moving a lot and we felt it was going to collapse. More than 30 countries are sending help to Turkey. That includes search and rescue teams as well as humanitarian aid.

The U.S. is promising to provide as much help as it can, not only now, but in the months to come when the region will need a lot of money to rebuild. The imagery that we've all seen is just searing. It's harrowing. And unfortunately, the death toll we can all expect will only climb in the coming days. The death toll so far, 5,100 people, but authorities say that number is certain to go up.

Turkey's president says we are face to face with one of the biggest disasters ever for our region. Make it.

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