Survivors leave quake-hit areas as Turkish airlines offer free tickets | World news
Thousands of survivors are being evacuated from the earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey as the country’s two major airlines announced free evacuation pilots on Sunday. Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines are offering free tickets to people affected by the earthquake in order to get them to safety.
College and university hostels, tourist resorts in areas like Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya have been reserved for the affected people, according to India Today. Many people from Gaziantep, Nurdagi and Hatai have already left while many gathered at Gaziantep airport waiting to fly to safety.
Also read: Turkey earthquake: Boy, 9, donates piggy-bank savings to victims
The death toll, six days after a deadly earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria, passed the 33,000 mark on Sunday. The number is feared to rise as search and rescue teams are expected to find more bodies. Amid news of serious conflicts, stories of miraculous rescues are also emerging from the region.
A 54-year-old Syrian was rescued in Turkey’s Antakya by teams of Turkish firefighters and Chinese rescuers after being trapped for 156 hours in the siege. Similarly, a young man was pulled from the rubble after several days of being forced to drink his own urine in order to survive.
Also read: More than 130 workers detained in Turkey as death toll crosses 33,000 mark
The United Nations predicts that the death toll could be “double or more” from the previously reported figure of 28,000. “I think it’s hard to estimate exactly how much we need to be under siege but I’m sure it will double or more,” UN relief chief Martin Griffiths told Sky News in an interview.
(Including agency inputs)
