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Frantic Search for Survivors as Death Toll Passes 7,200; Rescue Effort Complicated by Syria's Civil War; Biden to Deliver State of Union Address; Biden Revamps Campaign Promise in Attempt to Soothe Economy. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired February 07, 2023 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:40]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to CNN's special coverage of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria. I'm Lynda Kinkade, Richard Quest is on assignment.

Just ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, teams of rescue workers race to free survivors of Monday's devastating earthquake, as aid organizations say much more help is needed. And facing an election next year, the U.S. president prepares to address the nation. Also, Germany's Defense minister visits Kyiv, promising more tanks.

Well, the quake's death toll is rising as searchers race to find victims within the rubble. More than 7,000 people across Turkey and Syria have now died. And the Turkish president has declared a three- month state of emergency.

Crews are digging through thousands of collapsed buildings to find any signs of life. Aftershocks and winter weather are making that effort even harder and more urgent. In many parts of Turkey, temperatures tonight are expected to drop below freezing.

Nearly two full days later, and people are still hopeful for moments like this. Images showing crews rescuing a young girl in Turkey 24 hours after the quake.

Well, in Gaziantep, near the earthquakes epicenter, CNN witnessed as workers asked for quiet so they could listen for people in the rubble. Crews said they heard the voices of at least three people.

Well, CNN's Becky Anderson is in Gaziantep and joins us now live.

You've been there, Becky, hour after hour. I've been watching as you've been waiting to hear whether rescuers are reaching anyone under that rubble behind you. Just bring us up to speed with the latest.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda, this is one of those thousands of buildings that has simply collapsed after that 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The biggest this region has seen in nearly 100 years. And it was here, at that site, that that call for silence was made some hours ago. There were signs of life. The rescue teams here, I believe that they had heard three separate people in what they believe is a void underneath this rubble. But I'm afraid, since we've been here, despite those calls for

silence, unfortunately nobody has been pulled out alive. At one stage, they put up a white sheet as a mark of respect. I'm just moving away from what is a huge digger coming in behind me. Mark as respect when a body was actually pulled out from behind us.

I'm just going to let this digger go past. You can understand this is a live search and rescue site. Not yet recovery, which is a good thing, which means that there is still hope that people have survived this. But obviously that hope is running out. It is bitterly cold, it is minus one, minus two. Could go as low as minus six tonight. It was that cold at 4:15 in the morning on Monday when this break struck.

You see a lot of movement here. These are JCB diggers and they are effectively now going in and clearing out some of the debris. What's happening on the site just beside me to my left, I'm afraid, is the utter devastation of an entire building as well. And as we understand it there, the teams who are sort of beginning to wind down the search and rescue believe there may be as many as 100 people caught underneath the rubble. And they are getting no sign of life from that site there at all.

Lynda, there's been an enormous response, international response, to the appeals for help, both here in Turkey and in Syria. Over 70 countries now sending in search and rescue equipment and teams, emergency supplies. We were with one of the deployments from the UAE Monday. They sent three C-17s and they've been sending flights ever since.

[15:05:03]

They are in the midst of setting up a field hospital. The Emiratis are setting up a field hospital about 100 kilometers from here. I jumped on that flight. They brought us into Gaziantep with that aid, and I just want you to see part of that journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): The international response came quick and fast from all corners of the world. The Emiratis sending three C-17 cargo planes Monday, carrying assistance to those who needed most in the quake stricken area. My team boarded one of those flights headed into the hard-hit epicenter in southern Turkey. This flight carrying 22,000 kilos of aid.

(On-camera): These are all medical supplies, surgical isolation gowns, latex gloves, alcohol prep swabs, what else have we got around here? Intravenous infusions and there is more to come before we take off around about 1:00 in the morning, which is about 45 minutes from now. There's also a couple of huge vehicles on here. Let me just take you down.

This is a rescue vehicle, both of these, as I understand it are from the -- yes, from the Dubai police. All of this on its way to Adana where it will be deployed, where it is needed the most. The UAE establishing a field hospital, sending search and rescue teams over the coming hours, and, of course, these emergency supplies.

I've just been told they will leave in about five minutes time. So I'm just going to strap myself in. We'll fly at about 34,000 feet. This flight to Turkey, which will take off at about 1:30 in the morning, should be on the ground in Adana by about six in the morning. Five and a half, six hours flight.

(Voice-over): As we approach Adana, we're told there is no room to land. The airport is full of international aid flights, so we reroute to Gaziantep, one of the worst-hit cities.

(On-camera): We've just arrived at our final destination. This is Gaziantep, which is the epicenter of Monday's 7.8 magnitude earthquake. So the search and rescue vehicles, the emergency supplies will now be taken off this, taken into the city, and deployed to wherever they are needed most. And we're going to get out and find out what's going on in the city.

(Voice-over): The start of a herculean international aid effort, providing relief to those desperately in need.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: I'm just here on one of the sites beside me earlier on today, Lynda, to that point. A team from Kazakhstan helping the local search and rescue teams here. It is and will be a herculean effort if anybody else is to be found alive in any of these sites here or any of the sites, obviously, around Turkey and into northwest Syria as well.

I'm going to move away from here because they're actually telling us that this building is liable to come down at some point. And obviously, we're going to move, as the rest of the people here are out of danger -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And Becky, the city where you are, in Gaziantep, is home to about two million people. How much of this city has been impacted by this earthquake?

ANDERSON: It's interesting that you asked that question because as we came in from the airport today, what we noted was actually many buildings, which are completely or certainly looks as if they were completely intact. As is always the way in earthquakes you tend to get these pockets of destruction. And actually around those you can't believe that the buildings, other buildings are actually still intact.

That's not the case here because all of these buildings are clearly in danger of coming down. But in other parts of the city, this is a new city, a relatively new city with relatively new buildings and built in a fairly robust fashion. And so many of the buildings here have actually survived. Sadly, that isn't the situation, for example, just north of here.

We're very close to the epicenter. There is a town about 100 clicks away from here and the buildings are older, they're not as robust, and one of our colleagues Nick Paton Walsh is there, and what he's observing is an awful lot of destruction across the entire city. [15:10:11]

So it really does depend where you are and how strong the buildings are. Yes, and where the quake actually occurred. This was, as I say, relatively close to the epicenter. But not everything here has been affected.

Spare a thought, of course, for those in northwest Syria, we're reporting from Turkey and northwest Syria, in Aleppo and in Idlib, the stories -- the accounts that we're hearing, the reports that we're hearing are of real destruction. No electricity, no fuel, no water, no electricity, and people really struggling. And not seeing anything like this sort of support that we are seeing here from the international community, although there is some support going in through Damascus at this point. It is highly political and highly charged, of course.

KINKADE: Yes, and we will be covering more on Syria this hour.

Becky Anderson, our thanks to you and your team for what has been some very long days of reporting in some very trying conditions. We appreciate it.

The International Rescue Committee is warning of catastrophic humanitarian needs in Syria and Turkey, and it is appealing to the international community to increase funding before it's too late. Countries around the world are pledging support. You can see here, aid arriving from India.

Now the region already had poor infrastructure, and the earthquake has left many roads damaged, causing delays in aid deliveries. In Syria, the rescue efforts have been complicated by years of civil war.

Salma Abdelaziz is covering the story from Istanbul. And we need to warn you that some of the video is disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on-camera): There are efforts underway to try to negotiate aid corridors or access to northwest Syria, that's a deeply affected, of course, by this earthquake. U.N. organizations and humanitarian groups saying it's been essentially impossible to bring help to those affected there in Syria. Roads heavily damaged by earthquakes and then a very complex picture on the ground, after nearly 12 years of war there and civil conflict is heavily impacting these search and recovery efforts. Take a look at how they're going so far.

(Voice-over): Little Roved (PH) has lost her mother, both her siblings, too. All three killed by a massive earthquake that leveled her home. This was Roved just a few hours before, rushed to safety after she was pulled out of the rubble. Her clothes stained with blood. The toddler will be cared for by her uncle while her father recovers in hospital from his wounds, activists say.

This is a place all too familiar with heartbreak. Devastated by nearly 12 years of war, there was little left to cope with yet another catastrophe.

Northwestern Syria was rattled by a 7.8 magnitude quake and dozens of aftershocks. But in the first moments traumatized residents wondered if warplanes were overhead again.

Torn apart by civil conflict, the response to this disaster is divided along political lines. In the rebel-held province of Idlib rescue workers known as the White Helmets labored through the night's pull out the dead and the living. Drone shots reveal the scope and scale of their grim task while countless families searching for missing loved ones endure an agonizing wait. But help can't reach everyone. In remote areas relatives are desperately digging with bare hands.

My family's underneath the rubble, my children and grandchildren, this man says, but there's no way to get them out. No one to rescue them. No machinery. I think they're still alive. We hear their voices.

Any survivors found a rush to overwhelmed hospitals like this one where beds for patients have run out, the dead lay bleeding on the floor and the body bags keep piling up.

In government-controlled areas, residents are largely cut off from the international aid being poured into the disaster zone. President Bashar al-Assad's regime is heavily sanctioned by the West for bombarding his own people.

Here, it's Syria's supporters, the patrons of the conflict, Russia and Iran, offering aid. Moscow's troops are supporting search and recovery efforts and President Putin has vowed to send more help.

[15:15:03]

But disaster knows no politics. Here families are desperate for news, too.

I can't find my sister, this woman says. She lived on the second floor with her son and three daughters. Maybe they didn't get out? We've checked the hospitals, we've looked everywhere for them. God, I hope they're OK.

Syrians feel their plight was long forgotten and neglected. Now with their tragedy thrust into the spotlight again, it's up to the world to hear their pleas.

(On-camera): It's hard to imagine a more traumatized population, a more vulnerable population than the Syrians who've been displaced, who've suffered under years of war, being hit by yet another catastrophe. And aid can't come soon enough. We see that help flowing into Turkey, but Syria, where absolutely that clock is ticking on search and rescue efforts, that glimmer of hope is quickly fading. And you can hear the pain and the agony that is causing families that simply don't know if they'll ever see their loved ones again.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KINKADE: Well, here's a look at some live pictures just coming into us now from the town of Osmaniye, that's a couple hours west of Gaziantep, where Becky Anderson is. And you can see rescue workers there sifting through the rubble, working into the night in terribly cold conditions, in a desperate search for survivors.

Well, Durmus Aydin is the secretary-general of IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation and joins me now from Istanbul. We really appreciate your time today, so your NGO, you've got rescue teams working across 10 cities, as I understand it, throughout Turkey. Now in the second night since the earthquake occurred. How crucial is the next 24 hours?

DURMUS AYDIN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, IHH HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOUNDATION: It's really very crucial because in the (INAUDIBLE) 72 hours' time, so now we are running out of time. We are expecting that, you know, the search and rescue teams to find more survivors from the rubbles, and it is really -- it's a hard time and the other problem is the weather. The weather is so cold and the people are trying to survive. They're under the rubble. At the same time, trying to survive the cold.

And it's really harsh and all the thousands of search and rescue teams from our NGOs, from international NGOs and government agencies, they are trying to do their best and just we are hoping to find more people have survived and get them alive.

KINKADE: And Durmus, I understand for so many survivors who have absolutely nothing right now, your team is sending in the basics like diapers and food. Can you tell us where survivors are being taken to kind of get some shelter from this bitter cold?

AYDIN: Yes, at the moment, the people now, because of the cold, you know, we are trying to find a place for them to stay in shelters. And the problem is now because the roads are demolished and the bridges are also demolished, the problem is now because of the collapse, you know, people cannot reach the areas easily. So there are some areas trying to reach to deliver them the relief.

So it's really harsh at the moment. And it's unimaginable, you know, you can see from the view that, you know, people are still trying to get help and the government agencies and the international agencies, our NGOs, are trying to reach the people for them to get their relief.

KINKADE: And your Turkish NGO has helped Syrian refugees in the past, survivors of the Syrian war. Do you have a team working in Aleppo right now and if so can you give us some perspective on how challenging it is to get aid into those people there, given the sanctions on Syria?

AYDIN: It's very challenging at the moment because especially north of Syria, in Idlib side, other sides, there are lots of houses are demolished. The problem is already there is a lack of health facilities and there is the lack of missionaries which they can use to -- on the collapsed buildings. And we have send about 200 relief workers and the rescue teams in north of Syria, especially in these other areas. And those cities, it's really in bad condition, and the facilities in

the hospitals, it's so bad. Unfortunately, the people they are very desperate in need and they are really losing hope unfortunately. The problem is at the moment, you know, it's not just trying to reach the people under the rubbles, the other problem is trying to send the relief for those people.

[15:20:09]

And also the snowing in the area is now day-by-day, it's increasing. And the children, the elderly, and the women, they are really suffering at the moment. And we can see from the view also conditions are very terrible and very bad.

KINKADE: And the WHO says about 23 million people are affected by this earthquake. What can we expect in the next week or two? What is the next phase of this disaster look like?

AYDIN: I must tell you this. At the moment from Turkey there are 10 provinces affected by the earthquake. The problem is at the moment, you know, in a wide area, and it's not just one area. And there is a time for the recovery and the huge work should be done by the government, by the state, you know, it's not going to be easy. The other things that people have been traumatized and the psychosocial support should be taking place in those areas.

And in next coming days, people are at the moment focusing on search and rescue programs, but now the next level is for the recovery programs, psychosocial support programs, and the people, if they need places to say, and shelter programs should take place.

KINKADE: There's a lot of aid coming but certainly the need is quite severe. We will stay in touch with you.

Durmus Aydin, we appreciate your time today. Thanks so much.

AYDIN: Thank you.

KINKADE: Now to a miraculous story of survival mixed with tremendous loss. Now according to news agency AFP, a newborn child was pulled from the ruins of a home in northern Syria. A relative telling the news agency that she was still attached by the umbilical cord to her mother who unfortunately died in the quake.

The baby is getting treated at hospital. She is the only member of her immediate family to survive. Well, doctors say she arrived with bruises and lacerations, and she had hypothermia. But she's now in a stable condition. And we wish her all the very best.

We are going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Good to have you with us.

[15:25:00] Well, tonight, U.S. president, Joe Biden, will deliver his State of the Union address. Now this is a chance for him to win back support ahead of a likely reelection bid. His popularity has slipped in recent months. A poll from late January put his approval rating at just 40 percent.

Well, the State of the Union gives the president a massive audience. Last time almost 40 million people watched.

Our reporter Phil Mattingly is covering the story and joins us now from the White House.

Good to see you, Phil. So the U.S. president certainly has plenty of economic data to highlight some of his economic gains in terms of unemployment rates at a record low and stock market higher than it was when he entered office. But of course inflation is still biting. How much time will the president use tonight trying to convince the American public that the economy is not weak?

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it's the core of the entire speech, to be honest with you. And frankly, this has been the disconnect that has been confounding the White House officials for the better part of the last several months particularly in the wake of just the most recent economic data, which includes, in clear deceleration, in terms of inflation, obviously, going to be blockbuster jobs report last week, economic growth that has remained durable, and yet, when you look at poll after poll after poll, it hasn't resonated with the American public.

And I think you make a critical point here in terms of how many people are watching this. For a president that doesn't command huge crowds at rallies, who tries to lower the temperature and not necessarily engage on a day-to-day basis in the political battles that would put him in front of people on a regular basis, this is a huge moment, a primetime speech, tens of millions of viewers, millions more watching clips of this on social media, a content throughout the country in the wake of this speech.

This is the opportunity not just to lay out a laundry list necessarily of economic statistics that the White House officials believe really bolsters their case, but to some degree, when you talk to officials, they understand the import of drawing kind of a thread here, a real narrative, as to why they believe their first two years coming out of the pandemic, coming out of the economic crisis, tied to the pandemic, demonstrates that there has been very real progress. But also has laid the groundwork, as they're going to say, and as the president is going to lay out tonight, finish the job in the years ahead.

And not just necessarily in the months ahead or in the year ahead, but when I say years, I mean as you alluded to, the reelection campaign that's expected to launch in the coming weeks. That's considered imminent and so is the urgency to really outlined why the president and his team believe that they have a record not just of accomplishments in the first two years, but a record to run on in the years ahead.

KINKADE: Phil Mattingly, we will be watching this tonight. And we have much more on this this hour. Good to have you with us. Thanks so much.

President Biden is trying to bolster the economy by reviving an old campaign promise. Taxing the wealthiest Americans. He would like to see higher taxes on billionaires and a 4 percent tax on share buybacks.

The president's economic record has been under increasing strain. The U.S. is on track to default on its debt. And citizens are feeling the pressure of decades high inflation.

Ellen Hughes-Cromwick is the former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Commerce and she joins us now from Washington.

Good to have you on the program.

ELLEN HUGHES-CROMWICK, FORMER CHIEF ECONOMIST, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE: Thank you.

KINKADE: So it's hard to reconcile the positivity from his recent jobs report with this less positive view in the U.S. economy in terms of high inflation and the recent wave of layoffs in the tech sector, in particular. Is that partly why the president has such trouble with his approval rating? And how will he explain that tonight?

HUGHES-CROMWICK: Well, I think there are several different factors that should be highlighted and really speak to what's happening on the ground. One of them is, believe it or not, the inflation rate has already come down from 7 percent last June to the latest data of 5 percent. So in the span of six months we've seen inflation start to come down quite markedly. And you also probably saw Fed chair Powell just speak here in Washington at noon today.

And he also indicated that we're seeing some of the prices of not just goods but other parts of the economy start to get inflation down. So this is kind of all hands on deck. And we're starting to see significant progress to bring inflation down. As you know, the Fed is in the driver seat. And they are accomplishing the mission. It will take some time but that's really going to be a great way for the economy to start growing more decisively as we get into the latter part of this year.

KINKADE: And I do want to ask you about the Fed chairman's comments which you mentioned, talking about the expectations that we will see a decline inflation this year.

[15:30:00]

How soon do you think that will happen? What will the President do to affect that? And speak to us about his record on the economy so far in terms of his Inflation Reduction Act and also his infrastructure bill.

HUGHES-CROMWICK: Yes, let's talk about the economy a little bit here. We've seen now very historic legislation passed, a bipartisan infrastructure law, Chips and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act. We have a historic opportunity now to broaden out competition across clean energy in our economy. I mean, what an opportunity to diversify and make sure we're not beholden to a cartel that runs our energy price sector. I mean, we cannot afford to beholden to a cartel so that diversification across different types of clean energy is absolutely critical. We're already seeing the impact of this, you know, renewable energy growth quite strong. And we're seeing electric vehicles, which is really going to alleviate and make more competition in the energy sector. That's what we need. We need competition to grow, to give companies incentives.

And if we look at private investment in clean energy, we're starting to see record growth. Investment is going to be that engine for growth. It always has been and we're really starting to see that materialize now.

KINKADE: Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, good to have you on the program. We will be watching this speech closely tonight. Thanks so much.

HUGHES-CROMWICK: Thank you.

KINKADE: And for our viewers, the programming notes, CNN's Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper will anchor our live coverage of President Biden's State of the Union address. It starts tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. That is 1:00 a.m. in London, 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.

Still to come tonight, Syria already bearing the scars of twelve years of brutal civil war. Now the earthquake has brought new misery. We'll look at how the international community is trying to help. That story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:35]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well in Syria the earthquake has killed more than 800 people and brought new devastation to a region ravaged by nearly 12 years of civil war. Rescue crews are desperately searching for survivors. They believe hundreds of families are still buried beneath the rubble. And the sub-zero temperatures mean they're racing against time.

The United Nations says the quake is cut off a crossing that's being used to deliver aid to already vulnerable people. Well, Greece's Prime Minister is finding out just how difficult it is to get aid into Syria. Earlier he told my colleague Christina Macfarlane he hasn't had any success yet and now he's calling for a broader European response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER: There is no official interlocutor, so we have to work through international organizations, and a significant amount of the international assistance that was directed to northern Syria even before the earthquake inevitably has been disrupted as a result.

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN ANCHOR: We are so focused on trying to understand how aid is getting into that region, especially in the northwest. How are you trying to access that part of the country? Have you had any success in getting aid in?

MITSOTAKIS: Not so far, but we'll try to work through international organizations. My suggestion will also be, you know, when we meet at the level of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday and on Friday, that any aid towards Syria needs to be coordinated at the European level.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: CNN's Nada Bashir is following the story and joins us now from London. Good to have you with us, Nada. People who already relied on aid, already vulnerable, already displaced, and now facing even more dire conditions, and there are even issues getting UN aid across the border because of the earthquake. Tell us more.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Look, Lynda, it is an unimaginable situation for all of those impacted by Monday's earthquake, but of course, particularly for those in northwestern Syria. As you laid out there some of the most vulnerable people you could imagine and more than 4 million people already highly dependent, desperately dependent on humanitarian assistance, living in temporary structures.

Now many of them, of course, displaced, but not for the first time. These are people who have been displaced on multiple occasions as a result of the war in Syria, desperately reliant on that international aid that comes through to the region. But of course, it is hugely difficult to get aid to northwestern Syria as a result, not only of the logistical situation on the ground, but of course the political and diplomatic situation.

Aid typically under the Syrian government would come from those Syrian controlled -- from the government controlled areas to rebel held areas like that in northwestern Syria through one border crossing controlled by the Syrian regime.

We've heard already from Syria's representative to the United Nations speaking today, saying that while they do want to offer support to all of those impacted by the earthquake, that support, that aid should come through government controlled channels. And then we have already seen pledges of support from some of Syria's allies and neighbors. Of course, we've heard from Lebanon, from Algeria, Iran, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, amongst others, offering support directly to Syria.

But of course there is much more needed in getting that aid to those impacted is proving difficult because of course the weather conditions are difficult. The roads are damaged across the region. Now what we are seeing is thousands of families, mothers, children who have been displaced, living in freezing conditions, of course, with the snow still falling in the region.

There is significant concern. We heard from the aid group, the White Helmets, which is operating in Syria. They are simply using their hands to pull people out of the rubble. They do not have the equipment, the machinery needed for this rescue effort. But of course there are those in need as well in Turkey. The overwhelming majority of the support that has been pledged by those international partners by 70 nations, according to President Erdogan, has been directed towards Turkey.

But in fact, getting that aid from Turkey across the border to Syria is also a difficult challenge in itself. We heard from the UN earlier today saying that their efforts for cross border aid transfers were temporarily disrupted due to the damage caused by the earthquake. It is simply too difficult to get across, we've seen, and get the end of it across these regions in Turkey.

[15:40:05]

The roads have been largely impacted. Lots of roads blocked, the debris still trying to work through that. Of course, the weather conditions not helping.

So there is a huge amount of support being offered, an outpouring of support by the international community, by foreign allies, and by international organizations. The question now is whether they'll be able to get that support to those most in need and as quickly as possible. Because, of course, Lynda, each and every minute counts in these sorts of situations.

The death toll is only growing hour by hour, and that is the concern. And of course, while we are seeing those people most vulnerable across Turkey and northern Syria, there is a real concern that not only are we seeing that death toll rise as a result of the earthquake directly, but of course, the secondary impact, particularly in Syria where we are seeing people now lying on the streets, living on the streets, in the cold, in the snow, without that crucial humanitarian assistance.

KINKADE: Yes, very tough conditions. As the death rises, the temperatures drop. Nada Bashir for us in London, thanks very much.

Well, as crews looks for survivors, many families are in mourning. These pictures were taken in Kahramanmaras, near the quake's epicenter. They show a man holding his daughter's lifeless hand, her body still trapped beneath the rubble, laying on her bed as the search goes on around them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back, well Ukraine says Moscow is preparing for a full scale offensive after Russian troops suffered their deadliest day of the war so far. Kyiv hasn't offered further details and the Kremlin is not committing. It comes as help is arriving in Ukraine in the form of tanks.

Germany's defense minister made an unannounced trip to Kyiv's Tuesday. He announced that Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands will also send 100 refurbished Leopard I tanks by next spring.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says Moscow appears to be stockpiling ammunition and building up troops in the Luhansk region. One senior Ukrainian intelligence official expects that Russia will mobilize up to half a million more soldiers this year.

Well, to France now, where we're seeing widespread protests over the government's retirement reform plan.

[15:45:03]

The government wants most people to work an extra two years so that the country's generous pension system doesn't go under. Our Jim Bittermann explains for us from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Lynda, no question a lot of people out on the streets today all over France, but by all accounts there were fewer than back on January 31st, which was the last day of action. This is the third time that workers have demonstrated against this reform of retirement that President Macron has been trying to get past from almost his first day in office, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

There's been some evidence of movement on the government's part that they have backed down slightly one provision of the law. The law is still before the national assembly and there are thousands of amendments that have been filed against this law. It could take until early March before in fact the law is actually voted.

So, everyone is kind of watching to see what happens, whether this demonstration today is bigger or smaller than the last one and what this may mean for the next one, which is already programmed for Saturday. Lynda.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Our thanks to Jim Bittermann there in Paris. Well, still to come tonight with temperatures plummeting in Turkey and Syria, rescuers are racing against the clock to find earthquake survivors in the rubble. We're going back to the scene shortly. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINAKDE: Welcome back. You are looking at live pictures from Diyarbakir in Turkey. That powerful earthquake which struck Turkey, Syria Monday has now killed more than 7,000 people.

Well, this is in the southeast of Turkey, about 4 hours past east of the epicenter and you can see rescuers there working through the night of spotlight, helping them to sift through the pile of rubble as time runs out to find survivors.

Nearly 6,000 buildings in Turkey have collapsed and tens of thousands of rescuers are now trying to save anyone still trapped beneath the rubble. Now the international support is building. This is a crew from China on its way to help. The United States has sent around 160 experts. They're expected to arrive in Turkey tomorrow. And in Syria, aid efforts are being complicated by the kind country civil war. The quake struck close to the last remaining opposition held provinces.

[15:50:05]

In Turkey, crews have been working nonstop to fine survivors. Belit Tasdemir, as part of the search and rescue operation AKUT, one of Turkey's largest. Earlier he told me what challenges they're facing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BELIT TASDEMIR, AKUT SEARCH AND RESCUE ASSOCIATION: First of all, there has been two subsequent large hits of the earthquake, two. Very large magnitudes happening within theirs, within very close to regions of each other, and between and before and after all these main events, there have been hundreds of aftershocks, which is rather unusual for them to happen so frequently and for such high magnitudes.

And the second thing that's been assessed on the ground is that the devastation and damage is across a very wide geographical region covering nearly ten provinces, usually epicenters of earthquakes, and the damages can be limited to more, you know, a localized city or province of the Embarrass (ph). But this time around, it's affected 10 provinces and it's a very widespread disaster.

KINKADE: And you've managed to send us some incredible rescue video of your team working to free a young person. What are your team telling you about the estimated number of people alive trapped under rubble right now?

TASDEMIR: We believe there are still thousands under the rubble, but because of the sheer number of people that have been affected, it's becoming really difficult to get to them in time. We have deployed so far 650 of our volunteers across five provinces, and this is more than a fifth of our entire organization on the ground operating to race to rescue lives.

But the difficulty is that, like I said earlier, it's a very wide region and now the evening is set in atypical for this part of the country. There is a sudden cold snap that started earlier this week and now we're experiencing below freezing temperatures through the night. And we're expecting the same for this evening. And which makes it all the more difficult for both rescuers and the victims because they're desperate to be pulled out.

And on the other hand, for the rescuers, because not only is it freezing for them, but it also has adverse effects on our equipment, which operates mostly by battery and any devices that we use acoustically, seismically or visually, these are also compromised in the lower temperatures.

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KINKADE: Well, even amidst the despair, we are finding amazing stories of survival. I want to show you this video from Syria of a little girl called Maria who comforts her brother while speaking calmly to the rescuer.

A short time later, video shows her being carried to safety and back into the arms of her family. Remarkable.

Well, journalist Ibrahim Haskologlu joins me now from Istanbul. Good to have you with us. You're a journalist, but I understand this story also gets close to home for you. You are from a city, I understand, Melatia, where you grew up. How is that city doing? I understand it was heavily impacted by the earthquake.

IBRAHIM HASKOLOGLU, JOURNALIST: Yes. Thank you so much for your having me. After the earthquake, I actually I was burned there and I went -- I spent many years in there. And when I saw the videos after earthquake, I didn't release, it's -- so changed. This city living like a hell is turning.

And I'm talking with my families and my friends. They are saying that here is -- everything is changed right now. They are -- everyone left their houses and they are going to the other cities. There is nothing left after this earthquake.

KINKADE: And Ibrahim, are your friends and family accounted for? Is there anyone missing? Those you've spoken to, where are they going to seek shelter?

HASKOLOGLU: Actually, my family is fine. We have in touch, but we cannot talk with some of friends. We cannot bring connections, we cannot talk. We know they are at this and some of them unfortunately under the rubble. We are saying this situation to officials, but most of them cannot reach this risk with teams, the forces.

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And if some of my friends is fine, but they are living on the cars because they cannot go to their home houses because it's so damaged, it's even the strong buildings also damaged by the earthquakes. And now they are going to the other cities. They are living in the streets. And during this time, the Turkey, the east of Turkey, facing -- freezing. People are facing freezing. They are so cold and the government and the forces cannot send to enough sources to them.

KINKADE: And so what's the plan for those you're speaking to those living in cars as the temperature drops below freezing, where are they going to go next to get warmth and shelter?

HASKOLOGLU: Actually, nobody knows it. If you talk with the officials, they even don't know. They are saving just a day. They don't know what's going to be happening next week, maybe tomorrow. Just they are living (INAUDIBLE) the houses for now. Maybe tomorrow or the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go to this area, maybe he will say what's going to be up and what's the plan.

But until now, nobody knows what's going to be happened tomorrow. Maybe no mixed house. It's not clear.

KINKADE: Yes, it is an undescribable disaster affecting some 23 million people, no doubt. We're taking your day by day. We will hopefully speak to you again soon. But Ibrahim Haskologlu, I appreciate your time. Thanks so much.

HASKOLOGLU: Thank you so much. Thank you.

KINKADE: And thanks so much for watching tonight. I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN Center in Atlanta. I want to leave you now with live pictures of that search in southeastern Turkey, the search for survivors and then coming up next is The Lead with Jake Tapper.

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