Death toll in the earthquakes in Turkey & Syria rises to over 15,000

The death toll in the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has risen to over 15,000. Turkey’s officials has announced that the death toll from Monday’s devastating earthquake has reached 12,391. In Syria, 2,992 fatalities have been confirmed in both government-controlled areas and rebel-held regions. Agencies and rescue workers have warned that the figures are likely to rise higher with many people still trapped under the rubble. Rescue workers are struggling to reach some of the worst-hit areas. There is also a fear of collapse of the infrastructure of buildings surrounding the rubble, weakened following the earthquake. 

The death toll from both countries was expected to increase as hundreds of collapsed buildings in many cities have become tombs for people who had been asleep in their homes when the quake hit in the early morning.In the Turkish city of Antakya, dozens of bodies, some covered in blankets and sheets and others in body bags, were lined up on the ground outside a hospital. Turkey President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday admitted to problems with his government's initial response to a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey amid anger from those left destitute and frustrated over the slow arrival of rescue teams.