Earthquake Deaths in Turkey, Syria Pass 11,000 as Rescue Efforts Continue

Earthquake Deaths in Turkey, Syria Pass 11,000 as Rescue Efforts Continue

Monday's powerful 7.8 earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has killed more than 11,000 people, officials say. Rescue teams from more than 20 countries continue to search for both survivors¹ and those killed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited a "tent city" in Kahramanmaras, where people forced from their homes are living. He admitted the Turkish government's response to the disaster at first had some problems. However, he promised that no one would "be left in the streets."

Many people in both countries are still waiting for help. This includes areas isolated² by Syria's ongoing³ civil war.

With thousands of collapsed⁵ buildings, it is not clear how many people might still be trapped under the rubble⁶. Road closures and other damage have made it difficult for rescue teams to reach all the areas that need help. Cold weather is also making the situation more difficult for both victims and rescue teams.

In the Turkish city of Malatya, former reporter Ozal Pikal helped with the rescue efforts. He said he believed at least some of the victims froze to death as temperatures fell to minus 6 degrees Celsius⁷. He added, "Our hands cannot pick up anything because of the cold. Work machines are needed."

Many survivors in Turkey have had to sleep in cars, outside, or in government shelters.

"We don't have a tent, we don't have a heating stove, we don't have anything. Our children are in bad shape. We are all getting wet under the rain," said 27-year-old Aysan Kurt. "We did not die from hunger or the earthquake, but we will die freezing from the cold."

Polish rescuers told reporters with Poland's TVN24 that low temperatures were delaying rescue efforts. However, two firefighters said the fact that most people were in bed under warm covers when the earthquake struck could help their chances of survival⁸.

Stories of rescues continued to provide hope that some people still trapped might be found alive. A crying newborn baby still connected by the umbilical cord to her mother, who was killed, was rescued Monday in Syria. In Turkey's Kahramanmaras, rescuers pulled a 3-year-old boy from the rubble.

Erdogan said Turkey's death toll⁹ passed 9,000. The Syrian Health Ministry¹⁰ said the death toll in government-held areas is more than 1,200. In addition, at least 1,400 people have died in the rebel-held northwest. That number comes from the volunteer rescue group known as the White Helmets.

Syrian officials said the bodies of more than 100 Syrians who died during the earthquake in Turkey were brought back home for burial. Mazen Alloush, an official on the Syrian side of the border, said 20 more bodies were on their way, adding that all of them were Syrian refugees¹¹ who fled the civil war.

The Syrian civil war has made rescue efforts in that country difficult. Rebel-controlled areas near the Turkish border are isolated and surrounded by Russian-backed military forces. Syria is also under Western sanctions¹² because of the war.

However, the European Union (EU) said Wednesday that Syria had finally asked for help for the victims of the earthquake. The EU also said its sanctions against the government would not affect the aid it gives to Syria.

Words in This Story

response -n. an action taken or answer given following an event or question

isolated -adj. characterized¹³ as being difficult to reach and separated from other areas and people

rubble -n. piles of material and debris¹⁴ from the collapse⁴ of buildings or other structures

toll -n. the number of victims of accidents, natural disasters, diseases, and the like

sanctions -n. actions taken by one or more countries against another to show disapproval by restricting trade and other aspects of the economy

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

9 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

12 sanctions   

批准( sanction的名词复数 )； 认可； 制裁； 约束力

参考例句：

• There was general acquiescence in the UN sanctions. 普遍默认了联合国的制裁。
• Trade sanctions were imposed against any country that refused to sign the agreement. 凡拒签该协议的国家均受到贸易制裁。

13 characterized   

adj.[医]具有特征的v.是…的特征( characterize的过去式和过去分词 )；以…为特征；描述（人或物）的特性；使…具有特点（或最引人注目的特征）

参考例句：

• Mozart's music is characterized by its naivety and clarity. 莫扎特的音乐特色是纯朴兴清澈。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The world situation is characterized by turbulence and intranquility. 世界局势动荡不安。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。