Despair grows in Turkey and Syria as authorities noted that the death toll resulting from the powerful earthquake surpasses 12,000 as rescuers continue efforts to search for survivors.

On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged the shortcomings of his country's response to the disaster, considered the deadliest earthquake in over a decade. Rescue personnel is still trying to find survivors who could be trapped under the rubble of the thousands of topped buildings.

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Death Toll

The Turkish president visited Hatay province, struck especially hard by the tremor, where more than 3,300 fatalities have been recorded as entire neighborhoods have been destroyed. Survivors in the area criticized the government's efforts, arguing that rescue efforts were slow to come to their aid.

Erdogan reacted to the mounting public frustration by acknowledging the problems that hounded emergency responses to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday. However, he noted that the weather also affected the failed rescue efforts.

In a statement, the Turkish president said that authorities could not be prepared for such a disaster. He noted that the government would not leave any of its citizens uncared for and hit back at critics, arguing that "dishonorable people" were spreading "lies and slander" about his government's efforts, as per the Associated Press.

Furthermore, Turkish authorities said that they were working on addressing disinformation. In contrast, an internet monitoring group said that access to Twitter was restricted despite the social media platform being used by survivors to alert rescuers of their locations.

Several rescue teams in Turkey and Syria are still searching for signs of life in the rubble caused by the earthquake. More than two dozen countries sent out teams to join thousands of local emergency personnel in rescue efforts.

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Continuous Rescue Efforts

However, the scale of the destruction left by the powerful tremor and its aftershocks was so massive and widespread that many residents still waited to be assisted. Experts added that the survival window for people trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain necessities was rapidly closing.

On Wednesday, the body of a four-year-old girl was wrapped in a pink blanket and brought out from the wreckage of a building in Kahramanmaras. According to CNN, she is one of the latest young victims of the destructive earthquake.

Excavators in another area dug out the body of a man who officials believe was a Syrian refugee in his 40s who was found on a mattress, similar to many of the victims since the tremor occurred at roughly 4:00 a.m. when many people were still sleeping.

Now, several countries are pledging financial support for Turkey and Syria to alleviate some of the damage caused by the disaster. The EU said it would send $3.7 million to Syria and $3.2 million to Turkey. The bloc also plans to host a donors conference next month to marshal international aid for the two affected countries, said BBC.

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