Rescuers pulled out more survivors, including a pregnant woman and two children, six days after a pair of earthquakes collapsed thousands of buildings in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6. However, the death toll from the quakes continued to rise, with officials reporting 33,179 fatalities on Sunday. As the slow rescue efforts frustrated people, blame for the disaster fell on faulty construction methods, which resulted in many buildings being unable to withstand the quakes.
The death toll from Monday’s quakes that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria stood at 33,179 on Sunday and was certain to rise as search teams locate more bodies in the rubble.