Death toll from Turkey-Syria earthquake rises to 33,000

More than 33,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria due to the strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred on Monday and the possibilities of finding more survivors are dwindling because of the cold weather conditions. More specifically, according to the most recent data, 33,181 people have passed away in both countries. Turkey's death toll stands at 29,605 while a total of 3,576 people have died in Syria, including 2,168 in rebel-held territory in the northwest and 1,408 in areas under government control.

In the southern Turkish province of Hatay, a 10-year-old girl named Cudi was rescued on Sunday after spending 147 hours buried in the rubble. Furthermore, a 35-year-old survivor named Mustafa Sargül was recovered from the rubble of a six-story apartment building in the same area after 149 hours. As the hours pass, news of these amazing rescues is slowed while some international search initiatives have also been impeded by security worries.

German rescue efforts in Turkey, which were put on hold on Saturday for security concerns, are still suspended "in general" due to these factors, the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) said on Sunday.

United Hatzalah, an Israeli search and rescue organization, likewise decided to leave Turkey after six days on the ground due to a "serious security concern" on Sunday.

Eli Pollack, the chief executive officer of United Hatzalah, and Dov Maisel, the vice president of operations, declared in a statement that they had "received intelligence of a concrete and immediate threat on the Israeli delegation and we have to put the security of our personnel first".

Turkish military are providing security in the search regions, according to the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU), and a rescue dog handler is once more assisting Turkish rescuers. An "increasingly challenging security scenario" and "increasing aggressiveness between factions in Turkey" were the reasons that operations were terminated early on Saturday, according to AFDRU. Teams had resumed operations, according to a tweet from Austrian Army spokesman Michael Bauer later in the day. 82 AFDRU soldiers have been deployed since Tuesday, and they are expected to return on Thursday.

About 300 children and their families in shelters and hospitals are receiving mental health treatment from the Palestinian team and local volunteers as a result of the earthquake, who are suffering from extreme stress and sadness.