Hope Fading As Deaths In Turkey, Syria Quake Pass 11,000

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) – Stretched rescue teams in Turkey and Syria are searching for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake.

The confirmed death toll from the world’s deadliest quake in more than a decade passed 11,000 on Wednesday.

While teams from more two dozen countries have local emergency personnel on the ground, the scale and scope of destruction from Monday’s 7.8 magnitude quake and its powerful aftershocks was so immense that many people were still awaiting help.

Experts say the survival window for those trapped under the rubble is closing rapidly.

Aid groups meanwhile faced major obstacles in reaching a rebel-held enclave in northern Syria that was also hit by the quake.