DisasterRelief.org The death toll from Tuesday morning's massive earthquake in northwestern Turkey neared 7,000 late Thursday, and Turkish authorities warned that the final toll could top 10,000. Another 33,000 people were injured in the quake, thousands of them seriously.
Rescue workers race against time to free victims trapped in the wreckage.
The magnitude-7.4 earthquake was one of the 20th century's most powerful and, aside from the horrific death toll, may have shattered the already anemic Turkish economy. Centered near the city of Izmit, the temblor devastated the heavily populated region's of northwestern Turkey. Thousands remain missing, most of them crushed beneath pancaked concrete apartment buildings. On Thursday, the search for survivors grew feverish as authorities acknowledged that time was running out for those still trapped beneath the rubble. Buoyed by the occasional miracle rescue, search teams combed through wrecked buildings alternately calling out for survivors and then standing quietly, hoping for a voice from the tangled debris.