Rescue teams across Turkey and Syria are racing to find survivors of a massive earthquake that occurred Monday, Feb. 8, 2021. As of Thursday, the magnitude 7.8 quake has killed more than 16,000 people combined in the two countries, with more than 60,000 reported injured in Turkey and another 5,000 in Syria.

In areas near the epicenter, rescue teams are braving freezing temperatures to pull bodies from the rubble of thousands of collapsed buildings. Experts estimate that the 72-hour time window since the initial quake hit has now passed, limiting the chance of finding survivors in these areas.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has visited the area near the epicenter, acknowledging shortfalls in the government's immediate response to the crisis. Erdoğan cited winter weather conditions and destroyed infrastructure, including airport runways, as contributing factors.

Public anger has been mounting