The death toll from the earthquakes that rocked Turkey and Syria has spiked up to at least 36,000 people.
The Washington Post reported that around 26 million people were impacted by the quakes throughout Turkey and Syria.
Turkish contractors under investigation for building collapses
Thousands of buildings collapsed completely during the quakes, which was the largest cause of deaths in the countries. Because so many buildings buckled, Turkish authorities are investigating building contractors.
Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told The Associated Press that 131 people are being investigated for possible connections and alleged responsibility for building collapses.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims no other government could have prepared for or handled this level of disaster, but some experts wonder how this will affect his political career, per NPR.
Search and rescue efforts continue in Turkey, Syria
Search and rescue crews continue to search for survivors in the rubble, despite freezing conditions. A large proportion of the people affected by the quakes in Turkey and Syria were Syrian refugees finding asylum in Turkey or Syrians still living in a region of northwest Syria ravaged by civil war conflict for the last few years.
“We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria. They rightly feel abandoned,” Martin Griffiths, United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, told the AP, “My duty and our obligation is to correct this failure as fast as we can.”
The conflict has complicated search and rescue efforts. According to CNN, “It took three days after the quake struck” for a United Nations convoy to pass through and provide aid to survivors.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called out the delays and lack of humanitarian aid, saying Western countries “have no regard for the human condition,” per CNN.