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More Than 4,300 Killed In Turkey-Syria Quake; At Least 100 Aftershocks Of 4.0 Or Greater; U.S. Military Retrieves Debris From Suspected Spy Balloon. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 07, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:33]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. A race against time to save survivors trapped in the rubble after that massive earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The death toll now more than 4300. Plus.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We did the right thing and there's not a question of weakening or strengthening, it's just the reality.

CHURCH (voice over): The U.S. president on balloon defense while China explains why its aircraft and others like it flew in the first place.

Plus, Ukrainian intelligence warning of brutal battles to come as it believes Russia is set to mobilize half a million troops in the months ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The death toll from the strongest earthquake to hit the region in a century has climbed past 4300 in Turkey and Syria. And authorities expect that number to rise as they searched through thousands of collapsed buildings hoping to find survivors for preparing for the worst.

It's a terrifying scene playing out again and again as buildings crumble and the aftershocks from Monday 7.8 magnitude quake. Winter weather is hampering rescue efforts leaving survivors to sleep on the streets in the cold, rain and snow. The Turkish government has closed schools for a week and the President has declared seven days of national mourning. Witnesses in northwest Syria describe the scene as terrifying.

The U.N. estimates more than four million people in that part of the country were already dependent on humanitarian aid after nearly 12 years of Civil War. Still, rescue workers push ahead pulling survivors from the rubble. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Selma Abdelaziz is live this hour in Istanbul, Turkey. So, Salma, the death toll has tragically climbed above 4300 with many still trapped under the rubble. What are you able to tell us about the situation on the ground and the continuing search and rescue efforts underway?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For as many these are absolutely the most critical hours for these rescue operations this 24-to-48-hour period after the earthquake because it's now that rescue workers do have hoped to find people alive under the rubble overnight. There were dozens of people, rescue workers who arrived from countries around the world to help with those efforts.

They've arrived with much needed equipment. You can only imagine the scope and scale of this tragedy. Turkey simply doesn't have enough of that equipment to go around. Heavy moving equipment, but also sonar to hear whether or not they're survivors underground. And this is absolutely critical. Everyone in this country tuned in. Countless families have missing loved ones. They are waiting, hoping, wishing for good news.

And yes, you mentioned that death toll but already rights groups warning that that could multiply in the coming hours just for context. The last time an earthquake of this magnitude hit Turkey it was 1939 and it killed some 30,000 people. You also have the wounded. Remember, some 15,000 people already confirmed to be wounded in the aftermath of this earthquake according to Turkish authorities.

That means medical facilities are of course overwhelmed. President Erdogan has raised the alert level of this country appealed for international help and that is coming in now but time is absolutely of the essence here, Rosemary. And to the south to Syria, perhaps the situation there even more dire. It's hard to imagine a more vulnerable population been being struck by such a disaster.

[02:05:02]

The northwest of Syria of course has been devastated by nearly a decade of war. A decade of war that has resulted in much of the infrastructure of the country being damaged or destroyed. That of course includes hospitals, clinics, schools, there's also a huge number. Some four million displaced people. People who have had had to flee their homes time and time again, because of the conflict.

Some of them now made homeless by this earthquake. And then it's important to remember that when it comes to Syria, the civil conflict is playing out in these recovery efforts. There are parts of northern Syria that are controlled by the government. A government that is sanctioned, remember, by the West, that means they cannot rely on international aid and help other parts of northern Syria.

Controlled by rebel groups, opposition forces, so family is going to are going to have to rely on whatever resources are really left. And we've already seen these images, of course of volunteer groups like the White Helmets doing everything that they can to pull people out from under the rubble. But again, you just have to remember that access issue when it comes to Syria, particularly in those government- controlled areas that again with the sanctions regime make it more and more difficult.

We do already have that confirmed death toll in Syria of 1400 people. But again, that number also expected to climb, Rosemary. These are the hours that everybody is tuning in, wishing hoping for good news.

CHURCH: Absolutely right. Many thanks for that live report. Salma Abdelaziz joining us from Istanbul.

Well, meantime aid is arriving in Syria following the devastating earthquake. Planes carrying aid shipments from Iraq and Iran landed in Damascus earlier. Syria state agencies says according to an Iraqi official, each plane was carrying around 70 tons of food, blankets and medical supplies.

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AHMED ABDEL RAHMAN, HEAD OF EMERGENCY, IRAQI RED CRESCENT (through translator): This will be the first of several shipments. This aid is provided by the Red Crescent in coordination with the Iraqi government. Of course, this is the duty of the Iraqi government to support our brothers, the Syrian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more on all of this, I want to bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos. She joins us live from Dubai. So, Eleni, in the wake of this devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake time, of course, is critical. With so many people still trapped under the rubble. What more can you tell us about additional rescue teams and aid being offered from countries in the region to help both Turkey and Syria?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, aid and assistance couldn't come quick enough. And of course, there is a lag between the pledge, the deployment and actually working with local authorities. Just speaking to what we saw coming through from Iraq and Iran into Syria landing in Damascus. The question now becomes, is that much needed aid going to reach the rebel held territories which have been devastated by this earthquake.

As Salma had just alluded to, the fact that they're highly-sanctioned areas, very difficult to access, the local authorities there and also, the White Helmets that have been dealing with the brunt of the war now further exacerbated by this earthquake. So, politics seem to also surround the assistance that could reach some of the hardest hit areas in Syria. But in terms of international assistance, and pledges, and also deployments, it has been coming through from various countries.

I want to take you through some of -- some of the commitments that we've seen U.S. deploying 160 personnel will be flying into Turkey, E.U., activating its emergency response teams, and also activating satellite mapping services to help first responders. If you look at the map of where the earthquake impacted parts of northwest Syria and also southern Turkey, it is -- it covers an enormous geographical area.

So, we're talking about Metro poles, we're talking about smaller towns, which also have not had the initial critical assistance that they require. So, what people actually need now is, firstly, to get anyone stuck under the rubble out as quickly as possible. So, this is why even neighboring Greece, Germany and other countries in the European Union are sending assistance. They're also sending sniffer dogs, which of course, is a vital part of this.

And then the secondary assistance, the UAE, Qatar and other countries are sending up field hospitals which of course will take longer, but you're hearing about people not having shelter, not, you know, being able to deal with the cold weather which of course has gripped that of the world as well. Freezing temperatures in southern Turkey, northwestern Syria as well. In fact, one eyewitness in parts of northwestern Syria describing the fact that the hospitals were not geared to deal with this kind of catastrophe that people are sleeping out in the cold.

We also know Spain, Pakistan, and many other countries are deploying as many teams as possible.

[02:10:03]

Some are sending financial aid which of course will be vital in shoring up any kind of aid assistance whether it's blankets and food, that critical first step. But right now, it's dealing with the rubble and trying to save as many people as possible, the injured topping almost 15-1/2 thousand. So, we're looking at trauma cases, hospitals, completely overwhelmed. And of course, airports and infrastructure also devastated.

This part of Hatay, I spoke to one person that has family there saying that net -- cellphone networks are down, there's no electricity. And you're also dealing with a wider infrastructure problem. President Tayyip Erdogan initially had requested immediate international assistance. And of course, getting NGOs and the U.N. and all the big institutions to try and coordinate and synchronize with local authorities is another big step.

The logistical issue of the weather has also created an enormous problem to try and get people on the ground as we're just hearing of more awful, horrifying stories of people being pulled out the rubble. Unfortunately, so many people, Rosemary have already lost their lives. And the fear here is that the death toll will rise. That is why it's absolutely critical to get the assistance in as quickly as possible.

CHURCH: Yes. It is a massive tragedy playing out there. Eleni Giokos joining us from Dubai. Many thanks for that report.

Well, Monday's earthquake in Turkey was so strong. It was felled as far away as Israel. Now the Israeli government is sending humanitarian aid and members of the Israel Defense Forces national rescue unit are also headed to the quake zone to help with the search and rescue.

Our Hadas Gold is standing by in Jerusalem. So. Hadas, what more can you tell us about this aid on the way and of course these rescue teams?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. So, Rosemary, we know that at least two planes from the Israelis have already arrived in Turkey. They've landed in Adana which is about an hour and a half to two hours away from where this epicenter really was. These are more regular passenger planes. They've chosen to use those just because they can just fit more supplies in them.

And I've been told that literally every inch of space was filled with either rescue search and rescue workers or just supplies for everything to aid the search and rescue to also -- the human -- humanitarian issue. So, 150 search and rescuers went. This is a specialized team, an IDF team, they've been on more than 30 such missions around the world to try and rescue people out of rubble.

They are -- this -- Israel also sent a team like this in 1999 to that devastating Turkish earthquake. And so, they are very well experienced. But they did say before they left that the conditions on the ground will likely make this very difficult. But they do believe that they will have the opportunity, they hope to be able to save some lives in these coming hours. Because as we've heard, these are the critical hours to still be able to pull people alive out of the rubble.

Other Israeli aid groups are also sending planes, passenger planes up to Turkey. There -- they've told me that they're trying to get these arranged as quickly as possible, get people up there as quickly as possible. All in coordination with the Turkish authorities so that they know exactly where to go and where to get the most needed supplies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing this aid to Turkey and also announcing that Israel will be sending aid to Syria as well. Take a listen.

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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL (through translator): During the past 24 hours, there has been a very severe earthquake in Turkey that surrounded other areas as well. I ordered to send at the request of the Turkish government rescue teams and medical aid. This is what we do around the world. And this is what we do in areas close to us. Since the request was also received to do this for many victims of the earthquake in Syria, I instructed to do this as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GOLD: And so, what's interesting is Benjamin Netanyahu said that a diplomatic element had sent Israel requests to help with Syria. And although Syria is Israel's neighbor, the two are technically at war and they have no diplomatic relations. Now, an Israeli security official has told CNN that it was actually Russia who sent the request to Israel saying, hey, Syria needs some help. Can you send it on? Now it's really official telling me that they do plan to send things like blankets and medicines and other humanitarian aid. Although Syrian officials told a pro-government outlet in Syria, he rejected the idea that Israel is going to send hope saying instead that it was Netanyahu trying to exploit the situation. But I'm still waiting to see for confirmation about when and where those supplies will be getting to Syria and also how they'll be getting there.

Whether it will be an Israeli team on the ground, similar to what we're seeing in Turkey or whether it will be closer to a handoff. Meanwhile, in Turkey, where Israel has already a team on the ground. We just heard overnight, the defense minister saying that they've been coordinating with the Turkish authorities and that Israel will now be sending a field hospital that will be set up on the ground there in the worst hit areas.

That will likely be arriving closer to where everything actually happened on military planes. The These are Hercules-type planes that can land in really difficult terrain.

[02:15:03]

It will be I think a bit easier for them to use those military planes but that we've heard overnight will be coming shortly to those hard- hit areas and Israeli military planes staffed by military staff, doctors and nurses and the like. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Of course, it is a huge operation to coordinate. All of this in terms of rescue teams and aid needed in that quake zone. Hadas Gold joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks. Well, cold rain and snow are all making rescuer's jobs more difficult in Turkey and Syria. People in one Turkish town wrap themselves in blankets and huddled around fires to keep warm in the near-freezing temperatures.

More than 100 aftershocks have rattled the region since Monday's earthquake. And they're expected to taper off in severity over the next few days. So, we do want to bring in CNN Meteorologist Britley Ritz now. And Britley, so many people left homeless as a result of this earthquake. Many others too scared to sleep indoors for fear of more aftershocks and the weather is not helping, is it? What more can you tell us about all of this?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Rosemary, we've got this area of low pressure that's sitting and it will for the next day or so. It'll slowly move off. And as it does so, the winds are going to switch direction. We're already starting to notice that across parts of northern and central Turkey where cold weather has set in. In fact, this is the coldest weather for the season. Temperatures now in Aleppo currently at six degrees.

So, we're near freezing just as you mentioned, Rosemary. But we're really going to struggle to warm in the upcoming days as the skies start to clear out. So, we notice satellite showing you quite a bit of moisture yet across the region. Once we clear out all of what's left that warp escapes back up into the atmosphere. And as the northerly winds set in, we get even colder with. So, we can expect to be below freezing here in the next two days.

Scattered showers and snow showers finally starting to come to an end. You still see a few here and there over the next 24 hours. There's Wednesday into Thursday noticing that moisture really starting to push out and here comes the colder air. Below normal temperatures Tuesday morning, Wednesday morning, doing the same into Thursday morning. The darker blues indicating that especially across central Turkey where temperatures will stay below zero.

And we're doing the same thing and Aleppo. Four below in the morning on Thursday. High temperatures, still staying below normal but at least above zero at eight degrees Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Aleppo. We have that 7.8 magnitude epicenter on February 6 early in the morning. We've also noticed several aftershocks along the east Anatolian fault line, right there. The Arabian plate pushing north along the Anatolian plate.

And what that's going to do is unfortunately continue on the aftershocks here in the upcoming days. Now, Rosemary, you mentioned that they'll start to weaken or not be as strong. Yes, that will be the case but unfortunately many are left homeless and with the aftershocks continuing on in the colder weather. It's just not a good situation overall. So many fires going to start to take place and just to keep warm hopefully and --

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CHURCH: And of course, those buildings some of them that very vulnerable and those aftershocks, the risk is those buildings crumbling as well. Britley Ritz, so many thanks with that report. Appreciate it.

Well, still to come. The U.S. recovers pieces of the Chinese balloon it shot down. What the debris could tell them about Beijing surveillance methods. Back with that in just a moment.

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[02:21:00]

CHURCH: More on our top story this hour. Search teams are racing to find survivors after a massive earthquake strike parts of Turkey and Syria on Monday. The U.S. Geological Survey says more than 100 aftershocks have followed and still pose a threat to rescuers. New video shows Turkish residents trying to escape after another powerful aftershock prompting a T.V. reporter to jump in and help.

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CHURCH: Nearly 4900 deaths have been reported so far with thousands more injured. Several countries have already sent aid and rescue teams to help with recovery.

Well, this week, U.S. lawmakers could learn new critical details about the suspected Chinese spy balloon which drifted across the country for days before being shut down this weekend. A source says the first intelligence briefing could happen as early as Tuesday with a group of eight high-ranking lawmakers from both parties. After that, the rest of Congress will receive additional briefings on Thursday.

Now this comes as the U.S. military is retrieving the balloon's debris to potentially learn more about China's surveillance methods. Beijing denies the balloon was used for spying and has condemned Washington for shooting it down. Earlier, President Biden was asked if the incident has weakened U.S.-China relations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BIDEN: No. We made it clear to China what we're going to do, they understand our position, we're not going to back off. We did the right thing and there's not a question of weakening or strengthening, it's just the reality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The U.S. military has already found parts of the downed balloon and sent them to an FBI lab for analysis. CNN's Dianne Gallagher shows us how authorities have been searching for the debris.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Under the full moon just before dawn we set out for sea Captain Charlie readies his shrimp boat, the Linda Anne. Dropping the outriggers, checking the radar, steering us towards the U.S. military's operation to recover debris from the suspected Chinese spy balloon. The U.S. Air Force shut it down with a single missile on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean roughly six miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach.

The NORAD command are now saying the full payload was about the size of a regional jet and the attached balloon was some 200 feet tall.

As day breaks, we began to see something on the horizon. The first glimpse of a multivessel mission which officials say includes Navy divers and ships coming from as far away as Virginia. A law enforcement source tells CNN the first pieces of sensitive spy balloon wreckage are already arriving at the FBI headquarters in Quantico for analysis. But recovery continues. CNN captured this exclusive video of additional Navy salvage teams arriving in North Myrtle Beach today and setting out on two more boats towards the search area.

With restricted airspace above the debris field at sea remains heavily protected. The Coast Guard warning our captain as we're getting too close.

CAPTAIN CHARLIE: Copy that. We'll go ahead and turn around.

GALLAGHER: Followed by a second call an hour later to confirm we were leaving.

CAPTAIN CHARLIE: This is Linda Anne. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to confirm your intentions. CAPTAIN CHARLIE: I've got a news crews onboard. News crew and they were just trying to get some video of the cutter and just trying to stay out of yours (INAUDIBLE) way.

GALLAGHER: The Coast Guard Cutter following us to ensure we stayed clean of their work zone. As for how long this stretch of ocean will remain restricted, a senior U.S. military officials shared only that it would not be months or weeks.

[02:25:09]

A fairly easy recovery they said because the spy balloon was shot down in just 47 feet of water.

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GALLAGHER: Now, according to the NORAD command, or the USS Pathfinder, which is a survey ship is on site and it's using sonar to map out that debris area. I spoke with our captain here on the Linda Anne and he said, that makes sense. And that's likely why that perimeter around the recovery site is so large. Remember, it is 20 miles. And to give you an idea of just how big that is.

You can see, I am right up at shore right now. And we have just exited the perimeter. Diane Gallagher, CNN, off the coast of South Carolina.

CHURCH: And earlier, I spoke about this with CNN national security analyst and New York Times correspondent David Sanger. I asked him what sort of intelligence China could have gathered while its balloon moved across the U.S. Take a listen.

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DAVID SANGER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It may be a little while before U.S. officials know exactly what this balloon or the devices attached to it, were intended to collect. And then they'll have to make a decision about how much to reveal. I suspect they'll reveal most of it, because the Chinese already know what it is that they were collecting. The best guesswork that I've heard, Rosemary, is that as the United States has improved, digitized and better encrypted, the communications used in our nuclear forces, that's a subject of great interest to the Chinese.

And something you can pick up from a device like this, floating 65,000 feet above the Earth's surface that you can't get from a satellite. From a satellite you can get imagery, of course, but not much telecommunications that are on the ground. We don't know for a fact that that's what they were looking for. What we do know is that China's got to be programmed to do this. You've seen another balloon that is flying over Latin America.

We now know that there were three previous incursions and the head of the North American Air Defense Operations U.S. General said today that in fact, they did not pick these up in the previous cases in real time. They only figured them out later on. So, obviously there is a new big effort by China underway here. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And that was David Sanger speaking with me earlier. You can see our full conversation in the next hour.

Well, China's Vice Foreign Minister said Monday that shooting down the balloon severely undermined progress the two countries had made and stabilizing relations.

CNN's Selina Wang has more now from Beijing.

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SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): China's angry that the U.S. shut down its balloon but it wasn't long ago when China aired this documentary about its Air Force downing another country spy balloon. The commander orders the pilot to shoot it down. The missile hits the balloon, it explodes then falls. Once again, the documentary says China's air force has crushed the enemy in a heroic move.

Yet fast forward to today. And ironically, Beijing is accusing America's decision to shoot down China's balloon as a violation of international practice. Beijing claims it's just a weather balloon gone astray.

WANG (on camera): The U.S. is confident that what they shot down is in fact a spy balloon, disclosing that the balloon carries surveillance equipment not normally associated with civilian research, with collection pod equipment and solar panels. This balloon was also flying over sensitive areas in the U.S. Could you help us understand how this can be a civilian research weather balloon?

In response, she repeated, it was a civilian balloon and accused the U.S. for hyping up the incident calling the U.S. irresponsible. She also confirmed to me, for the first time that the second balloon spotted over Latin America belongs to China too. Claiming it's also a civilian airship that mistakenly drifted into the region. But the U.S. says these balloons are part of a fleet of Chinese spy balloons spotted around the world in recent years.

Both the U.S. and China use more sophisticated satellites to spy on each other. But balloons have some advantages as Chinese state media has pointed out in recent years. This military expert explains how balloons can linger longer over a target and take higher resolution photos compared to satellites, adding that China's achieved breakthroughs in surveillance balloon development.

In this 2019 state media video, a researcher points to a computer screen showing the trajectory of an unmanned airship flying around the world.

[02:30:04]

He says, look here is the United States. Meanwhile, on China's heavily censored social media, nationalists are excitedly watching the drama unfold, and mocking the U.S.'s reaction. And this viral video from Chinese social media jokes that the balloon was just a giant lantern China sent over to the U.S. to celebrate the end of the Lunar New Year. These light-hearted animations, a contrast to the U.S.-China relationship that's spiraling towards a darker future. Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thousands are dead in crumbling communities. And now, there is a frantic effort to find survivors. I will speak with a Turkish journalist about the devastating earthquake. Plus, international aid pours into help Syria and Turkey. We will bring you the latest on efforts to help families and individuals affected by the earthquake.

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CHURCH: A huge international rescue effort is underway in Turkey and Syria to save people trapped in crumbling homes and buildings in freezing conditions.

(voiceover) It's been more than a day since the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck the region, igniting fires and ravaging communities. Nearly 4900 people are confirmed dead with more than 20,000 wounded. Winter weather is making it difficult for emergency crews to reach hard-hit regions, and aftershocks are keeping everyone on edge. The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded at least one hundred measuring 4.0 or greater.

Terrifying moments in neighboring Syria as witnesses watched a building collapse. Northwestern Syria was already suffering from its unrelenting Civil War which has displaced millions of people. Drone aerial show quake survivors huddling around fires to keep warm, while heavy machinery tries to clear blocks of debris.

(on camera) Even with all the destruction there are still scenes of hope and celebration. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is following developments from Istanbul. And a warning, her report contains some graphic images.

[02:35:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Flattened in seconds, moments later two aftershocks. A Turkish T.V. crew reporting live during the makings of an apocalyptic scene. The reports are grabbing a young girl as the rubble and smoke settles around them. Rescue efforts beginning immediately. In southern Turkey, a young man trapped desperation in his eyes, then in the pre-dawn darkness, a moment of joy. Pulled from the wreckage. This was a residential building full of families asleep in their homes when the massive earthquake struck.

IHSAN CETINTAS, DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY RESIDENT (through translator): I was sleeping when my wife suddenly woke me up. The quake was very severe, very scary. It took almost two minutes until the shaking stopped. KARADSHEH: As the hours go by, more rescues, hospitals also begin to overflow. Reported deaths going up by the hundreds each hour, millions impacted. In Syria, a father cried over his baby's limp body, many children among the killed and injured. It's unclear just how many are still trapped, and how many have lost their lives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are 12 families, and no one managed to get out. There are all inside here.

KARADSHEH: The White Helmets have done this before, heroes of the Syrian Civil War now pulling people out from under a very different disaster. So many in rebel-held northern Syria had very little yesterday. Many had already lost everything, displaced and reeling from years of war.

MAJED NASSARI, JINDAYRIS, SYRIA RESIDENT (through translator): It's a disaster, all the floors crumbled into ruins. We need a month maybe even three months to recover our dead.

KARADSHEH: A winter storm hitting the region, only exacerbating the dire situation, and slowing rescue efforts. In Turkey, two foreign help will be needed. World leaders already pledging and deploying rescue teams. The search and rescue will stretch on for days, hope remaining as long as possible. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Istanbul, journalist Arzu Geybulla, thank you so much for talking with us. So, the death toll --

ARZU GEYBULLA, JOURNALIST: Sure.

CHURCH: -- has climbed to nearly 4900, and many are still trapped in the rubble. What can you tell us about the ongoing search and rescue effort?

GEYBULLA: Well, the rescue effort has been pretty much going on since the earthquake hit the 10 provinces. Currently, according to the most recent data from the authorities, the number of killed, dead as a result of the earthquake is around 3,381. But that number keeps changing every few minutes as we get more updates from the area. Now, one of the biggest concerns about the rescue mission going on right now has been the slowness of those rescue missions. The way they've been dispatched, the way -- the weather is also -- the weather conditions are also preventing their reach to some of the provinces like Hatay, for instance, has been affected as well.

Where people have been reporting from the ground, people who have been affected by the earthquake but also people will have their loved ones and friends in the -- in the province, complaining that there is no rescue mission. And that people are actually trying to recover their loved ones themselves, bringing in machines, construction machines to actually pull from the debris, and there is no professional help. And so, there's been this criticism of the rescue efforts. There's been a lot of weather conditions that have been preventing also the reach and whatnot. CHURCH: Yes, I mean, certainly from the images that we've been seeing, it is mostly people using their bare hands to get loved ones out. We've seen a lot of rescue teams on the ground there but not a lot of heavy earthmoving equipment. But talk to us about shelter, water, food for those now left homeless, how much support are those people receiving?

GEYBULLA: Not much, I mean, unfortunately, in the provinces where -- that have been affected, overnight people -- some of the people who have been rescued had to spend the night either on the streets, or in their cars, or in some of the places that have been allocated by the local municipalities. However, they've not been enough and sufficient for the people who have been rescued. There is -- there has been a country-wide call for assistance. So, there's been a lot of fundraising, there's been a lot of donation. Every single city has announced a list of places where people can donate food, there's a list of necessities like blankets, power banks.

[02:40:12]

And also, it is important to remind the audience that a lot of these provinces that have been affected, don't have electricity, don't have running water. The main gas company has actually cut the gas supply to prevent for -- from -- to prevent further accidents from happening. And so, it's a chaos, really, on the ground in places where the earthquakes have occurred. There is an effort across the country by the people to help those affected. There's footage of thousands of volunteers flooding the airports across the country, trying to provide their assistance to the communities who have been affected. But really, for those who have been struck by the earthquake, what we're seeing from the reports is that the situation is rarely desperate. And a lot of people really lacked safe, warm, dry shelters overnight.

CHURCH: Yes, it is certainly a dire situation for so many people there. And the terrifying moments we have shared with our viewers is where aftershocks have hitting, of course, already vulnerable buildings as a result have collapsed. And this is the problem for a lot of people who are sort of still stuck in the quake zone, because they just can't get out. What efforts are being made to try to move some of those people away from this very dangerous zone?

GEYBULLA: Well, there are a couple of things about that, normally, because Turkey is located in on such an active seismic zone, there should be areas and all of the provinces that are earthquake-prone for people to gather in a case -- if an earthquake occurs. Now, given the criticism of the government at the moment, the critics, the experts, the geologists are saying that over the years since Turkey has been experiencing these earthquakes, they've been urging and calling on this state to make sure that there are more places, more safety locations for people in case they're affected by earthquake, but these measures have not been in place.

And this has been one of the biggest criticisms thus far, since the earthquake has hit those 10 provinces. Is that the government dismissed numerous reports by the experts, by the engineers who have been warning the state not to build or overbuild in areas to make sure that there are safety places, safety houses, safety locations, for the people who may get affected by the earthquake. And that also goes to the state of the buildings that have collapsed or there are in state of collapse. That also is one of other criticisms is that these buildings were not built according to the recommendations that were given by the engineers, recommending to use better equipment, better construction materials.

So, there are levels of challenges that could have been addressed in time if the authorities would have taken into account all the recommendations, all the reports that were sent in order to prevent at least the scale of the damage. Of course, no one could predict the exact time of an earthquake occurring, but at least if these measures were in place, the damage, the extent of the damage that we're seeing in the last 24 hours could have been at least minimized.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Such an important point in what is truly an earthquake hotspot. Arzu Geybulla, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it. Well, as the dust settles in Turkey and Syria, aid groups are getting a better picture of what survivors are most in need of and you can see these homes in the Turkish city of Hatay, reduced to rubble after the quake. UNICEF says their immediate priority is supporting children and families. It's likely many of them have lost their homes, amid the distraction and are left to face freezing temperatures.

The group is working with officials in both countries to coordinate the best response. Well, meantime, governments around the world are pledging support and aid to Turkey and Syria following this earthquake. From Europe to Asia, search and rescue teams have been mobilized. The U.K. says it will send 76 specialists, while Austria will deploy 84 soldiers from its disaster relief unit. Taiwan is deploying a team of 40 rescuers along with search and rescue dogs. Australia and New Zealand are also promising assistance.

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ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I can announce that the Australian government will provide an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected through our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners into human --

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