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White Helmets: Hundreds of Families Trapped in Syria Debris; Thousands Displaced in the Heart of Winter; World Health Organization: Up to 23 Million People could be Affected; Aftershocks and Plunging Temperatures Complicate Rescue Efforts; CNN Speaks to Greek Prime Minister on Aid Efforts; Frantic Search for Survivors as Death Toll Passes 5,400. Aired 11:15a-12p ET

Aired February 07, 2023 - 11:15   ET

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

[11:15:00]

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNNI HOST: Desperate calls for help today as rescue crews in Turkey and Syria look for more survivors from Monday's devastating

earthquake, in Syria where about a third of the more than 5200 quake deaths are reported. Aid efforts are complicated by the aftermath of years of

civil war. Harsh winter weather and aftershocks are also hampering relief efforts.

Turkey's President declared a three-month state of emergency in the hardest hit areas; he says 50,000 beds in the Antalya region have been prepared for

survivors. The number of victims in Syria is expected to climb as local rescuers say hundreds of families remain buried beneath the rubble. The UN

says the quake cut off the only crossing that is being used to bring aid to an already vulnerable people.

Well, CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has more now on the Syrian people who have endured so much and is now facing much more suffering and I want to warn

you about some of the images in this report are graphic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (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 rush 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. North- western Syria was rattled by 7.8 magnitude quake and dozens of aftershocks.

But in the first moments traumatized residents wondered if war planes 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, labor through the night's pull

out the dead and the living.

Drone shots revealed 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 deadly 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 serious 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.

[11:20:00]

ABDELAZIZ (voice over): 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.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: And another aspect of this tragedy in Syria, UNICEF, and Syria tweeted out that children are always among the most vulnerable when

disaster strike and UNICEF is ready to support those affected as the scale of the destruction becomes clearer.

Angela Kearney is a representative with UNICEF. She is on the ground in Aleppo, Syria. Angela, thank you so much for joining us, you are speaking

to us from a region we know very little about at this time. I understand that you arrived in Aleppo on Sunday, and that the earthquake struck just

hours after you got there. Tell us what you saw and what you experienced.

ANGELA KEARNEY, UNICEF REPRESENTATIVE: Yes, it was 4.15 in the morning in the middle of winter. And so, Aleppo is a very large city with massive

apartment blocks. And the earthquake happened. So, everybody came out of their apartments wherever they were. And of course, the aftershocks started

straight away. But it was wet and cold.

And children who have been very traumatized by a lot of war, again, bewildered, didn't know what was happening. And it was really quite scary

because of the aftershocks. But also, because buildings were toppling around them it is a really tough time for children, children who are

disadvantaged already. And this was just another tragedy for them.

MACFARLANE: Do you have any sense having been there now for 24 hours of the scale of the damage there in that region of the potential death toll?

Because we have no way of knowing, you know, with teams, they're not on the ground?

KEARNEY: Yes, I mean, there are some release of data from the Ministry of Health, and maybe about 800 deaths and 1500 injuries. But I'm sure the

injuries are going up and up, we visited the hospitals and W.H.O. obviously with UNICEF is working.

And the hospitals are excellently overloaded with trauma, with broken bones with lacerations and all of that. And some of the people are actually just

going to the hospital because they're so traumatized, and for their mental health. So, it's a real really tough time. We haven't got the clear figures

of the data yet, but we know that it is a real worry.

MACFARLANE: Yes. We've seen and heard so many videos coming out of the region of people saying that there is no one to come to their aid that they

have families buried under the rubble. What is the age that you've seen in that area that is coming to help, as far as you're aware?

KEARNEY: So, the UN is here, obviously, the Red Crescent is here and international and national NGOs. Yesterday morning, when we started, there

were seven schools in Aleppo city that were being used as shelters. And by this morning, it was 67. And now tonight, it's nearly 200.

So in all of those schools that are also partially damaged, there are families there who left their apartments lift their houses with just the

pajamas and what they were living in. So the age is starting to go and it is they obviously need blankets, they need food, and they need clean water,

all of those things.

UNICEF today trucked two tankers of fresh water to those shelters so that people will have access for sanitation as well. There is obviously need to

food, but there's also need for medical care and nutrition care. So, the aid is beginning to go in. But it is overwhelming. The needs are very

great.

MACFARLANE: And do you know if there is any aid at the moment coming from the south if there has been any contact with Damascus?

KEARNEY: Yes, certainly. Yes. I'm in Aleppo. And so, the government, they are here with the authorities giving the aid. Yes, there is a lot of

contact that way. But it is just that the needs are so great. We all have to work together on this.

MACFARLANE: And what are your most urgent needs right now?

KEARNEY: Right now, our needs are water and sanitation than nutrition supplies. We know that because of the war because of so much poverty that

sometimes women are struggling with the nutrition and pregnancy. We're seeing the first cases of malnutrition over the last few years. So, there's

need for that as well as healthcare.

[11:25:00]

KEARNEY: But there's also need for education. You know, the best way of this is to get children back into school. So, we're going to have to

rebuild schools support teachers who are parents themselves to our aunts and uncles who may have lost loved ones. I think everybody here has someone

in the family who has been affected by the earthquake.

MACFARLANE: And you personally, Angelo, what are you? I mean, when we let you leave this interview, what are you doing on the ground there? Who are

you having contact with, what physical work are you doing?

KEARNEY: So, we have a team on UNICEF and they have been out today with their partners with the international and national aid community, looking

at the education needs, looking at the water and sanitation needs.

So it's actually just leading that team together, doing the assessments, which really took yesterday and now really pushing out the needs, of

course, behind that as a whole logistics team. It's an IT team. It's a security team, all of those things together. So, we need to do it together

and be united with in the United Nations and within the donor and humanitarian community.

MACFARLANE: Can I just ask one final question about the state of the hospitals there? Have you been inside the hospitals, you said they are

overwhelmed? Are they able at all to cope with the level of devastation they're seeing walking in the door?

KEARNEY: Yes, exactly. Yes, they were triaging and yesterday we were able to find some cash and we went into the local market and bought dressings

and IV fluids and delivered them straight to the operating theatre where they were certainly operating in adults and especially children.

So, you were able to buy that and send it in and it was functioning. The doctors were there. The nurses were there. The lab technicians were there

actually leaving the trauma of their own homes behind them. It really was functioning, but it's overwhelming.

MACFARLANE: Yes, it is remarkable to hear about the bravery of people in this moment putting their lives on the line. Angela, it's really good to

talk to you. Thank you so much. And we really do wish you the very best of luck. And our thoughts are with you.

KEARNEY: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: As you continue our work there. Thank you.

KEARNEY: Thank you.

MACFARLANE: Well, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are sending manpower and supplies to the disaster zone ahead. I talk to the Israeli ambassador

to Turkey.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back, I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. Rescuers are in an urgent scramble to find survivors after Monday's earthquake killed

more than 5400 people across Turkey and Syria.

[11:30:00]

MACFARLANE: The global response has been swift with dozens of countries sending in search and rescue teams to help. But extreme weather conditions

are further complicating things. In Syria, aid agencies are sounding the alarm about the millions of people who are at risk from exposure to sub-

zero temperatures.

Let's go straight to our very own Becky Anderson, who is the host of "Connect the World", she's live in the center of the disaster area in

Gaziantep, Turkey. Becky, I know you have been tracking the rescue of someone buried under the rubble behind you, tell us what you're seeing.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: That's right. This is still a search and rescue operation behind me. And as we understand it, there are

more than 15 people still unaccounted for in the building behind me which is completely collapsed, as you can see. It was Christina, a 10-storey

building, very similar to the one next door to it, which by the way, is unstable at present, its leaning.

And those who've been here for the last 40 hours, I've noticed the - in that building as well. But the search and rescue operation goes on in the

rubble behind me here. They have been hearing some sound of life over the last three or four hours.

And so, they're desperately trying to ensure that they can rescue those who may still be alive in one of the voids, they've been sending thermal raise

down thermal probes down. They've had dogs on here and listening devices as well. And every so often, they call for calm, they turn off the generators

around us, they switch off the huge machinery here.

And they just listen for any sign of life sadly, while we've been here, they haven't pulled anybody out of the destruction behind me here. I want

to bring in Eyad who is from Gaziantep he has worked for CNN in the past. You were in Gaziantep 4:30 in the morning on Monday, just describe what

happened.

EYAD KOURDI, CNN PRODUCER: Well basically it started at 4.19 for hours awake, unfortunately at the time. First three seconds were kind of slow

light. Like Gaziantep is not strange to light earthquake and shakes. What happened after that is I decided not to tell my parents so I don't scare

them they are asleep and then after that a huge shock happened.

They started to scream they ran out of their rooms. I do remember they were saying in the alley there were like shelves next to them. And I was just

trying to screen to them to make sure that they stay away from those shelves and stay under the door gates.

And then like after 30 seconds I started to try to calm them down it was still going on. I was telling them it's going be overthrown, it's going be

overthrown and it's really -

ANDERSON: It just kept going.

KOURDI: It just kept going. Last 10 seconds, I don't know what it really is. I'm very glad I made it out. I did not see that. I did not, I don't

know. I'm sorry. I thought I'm going to die with my parents. Thankfully we did not. I actually like even like I knew like I was going to die, I sent a

voice clip during that earthquake.

My phone was in my hand and I told friends that I'm going I might die from a magnet - they were in Istanbul. So yes, and then we ran out in our

pajamas and slippers was called Snow five centimeters this like this long. It was rainy, very freezing but like we had to run out.

ANDERSON: And you stayed in your car as I understand it all.

KOURDI: I actually stayed at my neighbor's car; I don't have a car, unfortunately. But we stayed for like four hours in a car. Problem is like

even with the cars didn't have a lot of fuel. So, we have to stay without even leave there.

ANDERSON: And as I understand it, yesterday certainly there was a lack of water and a lack of bread. There isn't any heating in any of the buildings

there. Christina here in Gaziantep, you can see there's some electricity, which is great because it clearly helping the efforts that are going on,

like those behind me. And I know that you have sadly lost some sort of extended or members of your extended sort of friends and family group.

Gaziantep itself and as we continue to watch what's going on behind us, the scenes that you've got here, and all the way down this road through about

six buildings that have either partially or fully collapsed are relatively isolated in Gaziantep. This is a relatively New Town with relatively new

buildings which are relatively robust. The problem is outside of here and closer to the epicenter and that's not very far from here.

[11:35:00]

ANDERSON: There is a real concern about what's going on. I know the Turkish authorities doing what they can. They aren't coping and they have called

for massive support from around the world. What are your fears and concerns about what's going on away from here?

KOURDI: I, I have few friends in Antakya which is to the west of Gaziantep. It's a major city and they are still on the rubbles. I did not hear them

from back from them. I asked couple of hospitals around the area. I had no answer. Communication there until the last three hours was really bad. Now

it's going better.

But like there are people might be 40 hours on the rubbles not sure their phones, not sure their phones are going to be not through their phones are

going to be working now. But probably they're out of charge.

And we are hitting like if you're on Facebook, Turkish Facebook, same social media, like you'd see, just people asking about their family

members, like do you know this, can somebody go to this location, they post pins, Google Maps spins to try to ask anybody like, can you just go to the

building and like tell me it's like, it's totally demolished or not.

ANDERSON: I know one of your friends has actually survived in Antakya. Just tell me.

KOURDI: Siri, his name is Siri. And he's a Syrian activist. He was honorable for a very long time. And a few hours ago, he managed to make it

out after a very, very long time. He's safe, he was stuck in like, at first, a lot of people thought he was going to die.

But then we got the news that he's alive, but he's stuck under his legs. And then the Civil Defense managed to take him out. He's now in the

hospital. We hope he's going to make it out fine. And be back to us.

ANDERSON: It's a devastating and heart-breaking situation. Thank you for joining me tonight. We wish the best for you and your family and for your

parents. I want to bring in Christina, one of the guests for me tonight. Jan, if you just like to come and join me. Jen is Turkish. She's been on

site here for the last, well, 40 hours as I understand it. Just tell me what's going on here and how you've been involved?

SEYMA CEREN YEDILER, U.N. EMERGENCY CASE MANAGEMENT TEAM PROJECT ASSISTANT: Tomorrow we had an outbreak at 4 am.

ANDERSON: Yesterday.

YEDILER: Yesterday, and after our safety, we came to the here as a part that is Search and Rescue Team. I'm willing to let our thoughts and we are

working. But after the 2 pm we had a second earthquake and we had to stop this work because of this building can--

ANDERSON: Could come down.

YEDILER: Yes, come down. So, we cannot work regularly because of the other earthquake.

ANDERSON: Tell me what the team behind me is doing because you've been involved on this site. Just explain to the viewer's what's going on behind

us here now.

YEDILER: We can't work, we can't work. Not good because of the building is not a good way. We set the life tunnel, and we cannot find and the life

tunnel that which they fund and they rescue their people, so we can't find any solution.

ANDERSON: Any way in.

YEDILER: Yes, any way in - solution.

ANDERSON: So, you do believe there may still be people alive here.

YEDILER: Yes.

ANDERSON: There have been voices heard as I understand it?

YEDILER: Before one hour, we had volume from the people. I think she was live.

ANDERSON: Yes.

YEDILER: And they are working for the rescue this woman. And after 15 minutes, we will call this woman phone. The phone is still is open.

ANDERSON: Wow.

YEDILER: I hope we will save.

ANDERSON: Wow. I mean that is absolutely remarkable that there are people Christina underneath this rubble who still have their phones and are making

contact with the search and rescue, guys and women who are working on this site. So, there is hope. That's what we're saying.

There is hope it is bitterly cold. It was plus one degree centigrade when we got here about four or five hours ago. It's colder than that now, and

those who've been working here have had no sleep, they won't have any sleep. I can tell you everybody that I've spoken to here is just willing to

go on and on and on.

Just in the event that they can basically find somebody alive here. There are more than 15 people unaccounted for as I say it's a search and rescue

operation still, it will become a recovery operation at some point. But at this stage while there is hope, they will just keep going back to you.

[11:40:00]

MACFARLANE: And Becky, it is worth remembering the bravery that people like your guests are showing that to be up on that rubble at a time when there

are still a possibility of aftershocks and buildings collapsing. Becky, thank you very much. For now, we will have more after this quick break,

stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back, another country that is providing aid in the aftermath of the earthquake is Israel. The government is sending search and

medical teams to Turkey. And it says it has approved a request for aid to Syria which Damascus denies making, volunteers really rescuers and medics

were also headed to the scene.

And the Palestinian Authority is sending teams into both countries. Irit Lillian is the Israeli Ambassador to Turkey. She joins us now live from

Ankara where I understand you felt the effects of the quake even there. Ambassador, just begin by describing to us firstly the type of aid that

Israel is providing to Turkey.

IRIT LILLIAN, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO TURKEY: Well, Israel is providing actually two types of help. Our search and rescue team is already on site.

They've started settling in and they're working. And later on, hopefully, tomorrow morning, we're going to provide humanitarian aid including the

field hospital that we'll be operating, which is going to be fully equipped together with the medical team. And we will try and as much as possible

those who have been unfortunately wounded.

MACFARLANE: Regarding that field hospital, do you know when it is going to be operational and where exactly it's going to be built?

LILLIAN: --fully tomorrow, and if not the day after, and it is going to be the assignment is going to be given to us later on a region in - it is

going in which region it is going to be, it's going to be settled.

MACFARLANE: Unfortunately, we are as you can hear there having some problems with our connection and our line there to the ambassador. So, we

are going to try and re-establish that and come back in just a minute. Last hour however, I talked to; I talked about rescue efforts with the Prime

Minister of Greece.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis described his country's contributions to the ongoing rescues in Turkey. He also explained the urgency of the rescue operations

given the harsh conditions. Here's more of what he told me.

[11:45:00]

KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER: We already have a crew of rescuers in place operating in the region of --. And I presume because I

don't have access to the video that you showed that the photo of the seven year old girl that you showed, this is actually a girl that was saved by a

Greek group operating in that region.

So our team is already on the ground, as you know, reaches a country that has significant experience in dealing with earthquakes. And we know that in

these critical times a time is of essence, we need to get our crews out as quickly as possible if we are to save people who are trapped under the

rubble in horrible conditions for many, many hours.

I do need to point out that we're talking about essentially two separate huge earthquakes. And it is difficult to sort of convey to our viewers

those of you who have not experience what a strong earthquake feels like how powerful these events can actually be.

So the conditions are very challenging, but we are cooperating extremely well with the Turkish authorities. I understand there has been a very

significant mobilization on the part of Turkey. Again, the first priority right now is to save people who are trapped in buildings that have

collapsed.

Immediately afterwards, I'm sure that the authorities will focus on questions of housing and feeding those people who cannot return to their

own, then of course, we will start the painful process of reconstruction. Let me point out that this earthquake has not just affected Turkey, it has

also affected Syria, the reputations are even more complicated because essentially, there is no official interlocutor.

So, we have to work through international organizations. And a significant amount of international assistance that was directed to northern Syria,

even before the earthquake inevitably has been disrupted as a result of the quake. So I think we will have some very, very challenging days ahead of

us, dealing first of all with short term emergencies, until we will try to help Turkey with the longer term consequences of this horrible event.

MACFARLANE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is among the world leaders offering messages of support following that devastating earthquake.

Mr. Zelenskyy tweeted, "We stand with the people of Turkey in this difficult time, and we are ready to provide the necessary assistance to

overcome the consequences of the disaster".

Ukraine says it is sending 87 emergency rescue staff to Turkey to help and meanwhile, Ukraine is making some personnel changes in a time of war.

Parliament has approved the appointment of a new interior minister and a new Head of the Security Service. Meanwhile, the defense minister is

hanging on to his post for now.

Oleksii Reznikov posted on Twitter saying that he is holding the line is been under pressure for several weeks related to corruption scandals inside

his department. This is Kyiv says there are new signs Russia may be gearing up for a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine that could begin in weeks.

And as intense fighting rages around the city of Bakhmut and nearby towns, the Head of Russia's Wagner mercenaries issued a rather bizarre challenge

to Ukraine's President. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigogine taking to the skies, flying a combat aircraft,

challenging Ukraine's president to a dogfight. I landed, we bombed Bakhmut he says, and tomorrow I'm boarding a MIG 29 if you desire we'll meet in the

sky. Ukraine acknowledges the Russians have made some gains around Bakhmut but insists they're suffering catastrophic losses, the Head of Ukraine's

National Security Council tells.

The lack of shells that is a significant disadvantage he says but, in our favor, we are killing them at a ratio of seven times to one. Unfortunately,

our men and women are dying there as well. Ukraine's entire eastern front has been heating up.

The Russians deploying tens of thousands of troops mobilized late last year for what is expected to be a massive spring offense. Even so, Ukraine

Security Council Chief says his country is ready. We're concerned he says, but I would stress that we are preparing together with our partners, good

preparations are being made now.

So, if the Russian offensive begins, it will be unsuccessful. But to turn the tide of this war, the Ukrainian say they need more long-range weapons

to hit Russian supply line. And combat aircraft to win control of the skies. They're confident of getting both eventually.

It's only a matter of time until we get F-16s, he says, they will definitely come. Unfortunately, in the meantime, we're losing our people

while fighting for our independence. The Russians say they foiled a drone attack deep inside Russian territory only about 140 miles from Moscow.

[11:50:00]

PLEITGEN (voice over): The Ukrainians have promised not to use Western weapons to hit Russian territory. But Danilov says Ukraine will use its

own. Regarding Russian territory nobody prohibits us to destroy targets with weapons produced in Ukraine, he says, do we have such weapons? Yes, we

do. For the Ukrainians, it's a race against time to secure and develop weapons that will hold off what they call Russia's revenge Fred Pleitgen,

CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Well, some members of the UN Security Council called on Russia to end its war in Ukraine, even as Ukraine and the rest of the world wait

for Russia's widely expected spring offensive. During debates on Monday the U.S. Ambassador pointed out that the ultimate decision on this war is up to

one man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LINDA GREENFIELD-THOMAS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We have heard your compassionate calls for negotiation for a cessation of hostility. This is

in the hands of one person, President Putin alone. Putin started this war and he can end it today by pulling his troops out of Ukraine and really

allow for peace to take place. For Ukraine, this is a matter of survival.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: You are watching "Connect the World". When we come back an update on our top story as the frantic search for survivors in Turkey and

Syria continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: Welcome back. Turkey says 70 countries have offered help in search and rescue operations after the worst earthquake since 1939 ripped

through the region. Rescuers are working around the clock to free people from the rubble.

This images you can see here is drone footage from rebel control Besnaya in Syria Town as they're absolutely decimated as you can see just a heap of

rubble. More than 5400 people have been killed in Turkey and Syria. That number is expected to rise as operations like this continue.

Many who did survive have been left homeless. One witness in northwest Syria tells CNN that families are sleeping in the streets in the freezing

cold. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers is here with more on those weather conditions. And the aftershocks that are still impacting the region because

the danger isn't over yet Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, we just had two aftershocks greater than 4.5 in the past hour and a half. They're not showing up on the map now

because they're older than one hour. When they show up as red, those are the new aftershocks and right now Gaziantep at two degrees.

I know our crews are there suffering because of the wind as well but nothing like the crews there that are suffering trying to pick up these

pieces of concrete and get these people that are trapped underneath out. It's a cold front that came through yesterday.

There's even sea effects snow coming in to the Middle East. This is significant snow, especially in the mountains above about 2000 meters or

so, you could pick up about 40 or so centimeters of snow. And we certainly don't need weather like that when we're trying to pick up these pieces.

Look at Gaziantep by tomorrow morning down to four below zero, but the windshield will make it feel more like 10 below, because that wind is

coming in from the west.

[11:55:00]

MYERS: Still seeing some after shots at this hour, not likely where yesterday which were coming in about every 15 minutes. But we are still

looking at this Arabian plate moving to the north and to the north-east and the - in plate trying to shove Turkey into the Mediterranean sea.

And this right here is the area that ruptured. It's the fracture that happened along the surface, very close only about 16 or so kilometers deep.

And some of that fracture actually made it all the way to the surface where you can see the fault in the dirt, in the asphalt.

And in the buildings and in the towns that it went right through, a disaster still unfolding here as they still try to get people out.

MACFARLANE: Chad, this may sound like a stupid question. Bear with me. Is there any way of predicting or knowing that these quakes are coming?

MYERS: There isn't, we do know that there are stresses that have happened over decades. These two plates have been locked in place for a very long

time. And the longer that they're locked in place, the bigger the earthquake can be if this would be another decade before this broke. It

could have been an 8.0, it could have been an 8.2, but there is absolutely no way to tell when that cracks.

MACFARLANE: OK, Chad Myers for us there. Thanks very much Chad. And that is it for "Connect the World". I am Christina Macfarlane, stay with us for

more on the devastating earthquake across Turkey and Syria. We will continue with more coverage after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:00:00]

END