Workers dismantle buildings that are about to collapse. Photo: Hai Linh/VNA

As of 16:30 Sunday (Vietnam time), death toll of the earthquake passed 45,000, including 39,672 in Turkey and 5,800 in neighboring Syria. The Turkish officials believe the death toll may rise because about 264,000 apartments in the country have been leveled and many people are still missing. Rescue teams are racing against time to find victims trapped under the rubble.

Aid organizations have appealed for help for survivors as critical infrastructures have been destroyed. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday called for an aid of 84.5 million USD to meet the medical needs of people in Turkey and Syria. A day earlier, the United Nations called for more than 1 billion USD for relief operations in Turkey and 400 million USD for the Syrians.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 5.2 earthquake occurred on Saturday in central Turkey with its epicenter at a depth of 10 km, said the European Mediterranean Seismological Center (EMSC). There has been no reports of casualties and damage.