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The death toll from the massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake and a large aftershock that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6 has climbed to more than 37,000 people as of Monday (February 13). There have been 31,600 deaths reported in Turkey and 5,700 in Syria.
While several people were rescued on Sunday after spending hundreds of hours trapped beneath the rubble, officials fear that the odds of finding survivors are dwindling. Martin Griffiths, under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief with the United Nations, told reporters in Allepo, Syria, that the rescue phase is "coming to a close."
"What we've seen happening in these zones of the earthquake is that the rescue phase is dragging live people out from the rubble and finding those who died in the rubble, that's coming to a close. And now the humanitarian phase, the urgency of providing shelter, psychosocial care, food, schooling, and a sense of the future for these people, that's our obligation now," Griffiths said.
As workers continue the slow process of clearing rubble and debris, the death toll is expected to rise even further.