thinking of a crew. thanks for joining us. i ll be back at 9:00 for a special edition of outfront. ac 360 starts now. good evening. we begin tonight with the search for survivors in turkey and northern syria after one of the strongest earthquakes on record struck the area at the worst time imaginable, early in the morning with most people at home . those are just two buildings, two of more than 5,600 that have collapsed in the quake, the aftershocks and the aftermath on the turkish side. already in turkey and syria, nearly 4,000 people are known to have died, according to turkish officials and syrian state media. the number has been climbing with each new update. nearly 19,000 more are said to be injured. a major international aid effort is gearing up, but the priority right now is search and rescue. take a look. this is video from cnn from a town close toward where the quake was centered. for the last several hours now, we ve been watching crews there trying to make
survivors, across struck the area at the worst time imaginable, early in the morning, [speaking non-english] those are just two buildings, two of more than quake to the shocks and the turkish after side. nearly 4000 people are known to have died according to turkish officials and state media. the numbers climb with each new update, nearly 19,000 marchers are said to be injured and. our national aid is this is cnn report from we ve been watching crews there trying to make their way to a 14 year old child trapped in the wreckage of a two story building. they go as quickly as they can but it is delicate and dangerous work and other teams try stopped at one point to work out how to proceed. it is unclear what the team s condition is. we do know however that this is hardly the only such scene across the area. there are many. cnn s jomana joins us. what is the latest, jomana? anderson, utter, utter devastation across what is this massive earthquake zone that stretches a
happening now, mass destruction in more than 3,400 people dead after a powerful earthquake, and dozens of after o armageddon. stand by for new reporting on the catastrophes in turkey and syria as rescuers search for survivors and the death toll keeps rising and rising. also tonight, u.s. officials reveal new information on the size, cape abilities and the vae of the downed balloon. amid rising u.s./china tensions, and as president biden faces new international emergencies, he s also engaged in last-minute preparations for his state of the union address. we ll tell you what the president just said about his prime time speech to congress and the nation a little over 24 hours from now. welcome to our viewers here in the united states, and around the world, i m wolf blitzer, you re in the situation room. let s get right to the unfolding earthquake disasters in turkey and syria and its truly devastating toll. cnn s jomana karadsheh is in istanbul. one of the most powerful quakes t
quote, it felt like armageddon. the lead starts right now. a new baby, one of the thousands of innocent people killed earlier today in that catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked turkey and syria. the scramble to reach the people buried alive beneath crumbles buildings. then, we re learning more about china s suspected spy balloon shot down over the united states, including the concern that it may have had explosives onboard. plus, arrests in a neo-nazi plot to completely destroy an american city by targeting electrical substations. the details coming up on the wild conspiracy. welcome to the lead, i m jake tapper. we start today with our world lead. the frantic search for survivors after the devastating earthquake that so far has killed more than 3,400 people. a number that tragically continues to grow, seemingly every hour. the earthquake striking turkey and syria earlier this morning. powerful aftershocks complicating the rescue efforts, making things
hours and days. flattened in seconds. moments later, two aftershocks. a turkish tv crew reporting live during the makings of an apocalyptic scene, the reporter grabbing a young girl as the rebel and smoke settles around them. rescue efforts beginning immediately. in southern turkey, a young man trapped, desperation in his eyes. then in the predawn 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. . 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. reporter: as the hours go by,