Turkey-Syria earthquakes: Hope fades for survivors as death toll tops 20,000

 

Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, cold, hungry and desperate after earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria three days ago, with the death toll surpassing 20,000 on Thursday.

The 79-hour rescue of a 2-year-old boy and several others from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, sparked excitement among exhausted search crews.

But hope was fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities. The death toll in both countries now exceeds 17,000 when a similarly powerful earthquake hit northwestern Turkey in 1999.

A Turkish official said the disaster posed "very serious difficulties" for holding an election scheduled for May 14, in which President Tayyip Erdogan is expected to face his toughest challenge in two decades in power.