Turkey’s population rose to 24,617; rescue operation America | World news
Rescue and search teams in Turkey’s quake-hit Antakya are racing against time to save people as the country’s death toll reaches 24,617.
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Antakya one of the most beautiful cities, has become a pile of garbage. Residents witnessed the destruction of their dream homes into ashes. And, those buildings that somehow survived the high-level earthquake are being demolished as it becomes dangerous for people. People look at their homes as they are destroyed with wonder.
Women who lost their homes watch the debris coming out of their houses with the help of torches under the open sky. Even luxury cars could not survive the earthquake and turned into debris. The relief work is going on in full.
The beautiful mosque of Antakya also did not survive the tremors of the earthquake and was destroyed in the Turkish earthquake.
A panic-like situation prevailed in the city… Policemen on the streets and soldiers could be seen giving way to ambulances and vehicles engaged in relief work. Seeing an ambulance on the street has become common in Antakya.
As the death toll rises, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths described the powerful earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and northwestern Syria earlier this week as the “worst event” to hit the region. in one hundred years, Anadolu Agency tweeted.
Meanwhile, Turkish police arrested around 100 people for allegedly robbing damaged homes, robbing or defrauding victims of last week’s devastating earthquake, CNN reported citing the Turkish state-run Anadolu news agency.
According to security sources, who wished to remain anonymous “due to media restrictions,” investigations have been conducted into at least 42 suspects in Turkey’s Southern Hatay province on claims of looting damaged buildings.
Read more: ‘Absolutely unfair’ to accuse of not providing earthquake aid: EU to Syria
At least 40 suspects were arrested and security forces seized six guns, three rifles, jewelry, bank cards, USD 11,000 and 70,000 Turkish lira (around USD 3,700) in cash, state news reports said the sources.
Two other people were also arrested after they posed as aid workers and allegedly tried to steal six food trucks intended for earthquake victims in Hatay province, the agency said.
At least six people were also arrested in Istanbul for allegedly defrauding a victim of an earthquake in southern Gaziantep by phone, CNN reported.
Elsewhere in the country, several other suspects were arrested for alleged robbery and burglary in earthquake areas, CNN said.
The suspects have been arrested across at least eight provinces including Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Adiyaman, Malatya, Osmaniye, Adana, Gaziantep, and Sanliurfa, CNN added.
