As more bodies are recovered from rubble from destroyed buildings, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Syria and Turkey on Tuesday left more people dead than ever before.
Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said the total number of deaths in Turkey had risen to 3,419, with another 20,534 people injured. The death toll has now reached 5,102. Another 1,602 have been confirmed as being killed on the Syrian side.
Officials worried that Monday morning’s earthquake, and its aftershocks, would cause more deaths. Rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble.
As first responders battled snow and rain, survivors cried for help under debris piles. The area continued to experience seismic activity. One jolt was nearly as strong as the original earthquake. As families waited for news on their loved ones, rescuers began to remove slabs from concrete.
SYRIA HAS MORE THAN 2.300 DEATHS AFTER 7.8 MANITUDE EARTHQUAKE
Tens to thousands of refugees from Syria and Turkey endured a cold night after being left homeless by the quake. People sheltered themselves in stadiums, shopping centers, mosques, community centers, and other areas around Gaziantep (a Turkish provincial capital, located approximately 20 miles away from the epicenter).
Recep Tayyip Turkey Erdogan has declared seven days national mourning in response to the earthquake. Biden called Erdogan in an attempt to offer support and condolences. According to the White House, it would send search-and rescue teams to Turkey.
The quake was centered in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras and forced residents of Damascus and Beirut into the streets. As far as Cairo was affected by the earthquake.
In Syria, the area is divided between government-controlled territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave amid the country’s civil war. The White Helmets opposition emergency group stated that hundreds of families living in the rebel-held area were trapped beneath the rubble.
Rescue workers reported that people who were injured by the earthquake filled the medical facilities in the area quickly. The SAMS medical organisation stated that some facilities such as the maternity hospital had to be closed.
Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s disaster management authority, said more than 7,800 people were rescued across 10 provinces.
The U.S. Geological Survey said Monday’s quake had a magnitude of 7.8, with a depth of 11 miles. The second quake, which had a magnitude of 7.8, occurred hours later. It was believed to have been triggered by the previous one.
Thousands of buildings reportedly collapsed in an area extending from Syria’s cities of Aleppo and Hama to Turkey’s Diyarbakir, more than 200 miles to the northeast.
Authorities claim that Turkey saw the destruction of more than 5600 buildings and hospitals.
Steven Godby, a Nottingham Trent University natural disasters expert, said that frigid temperatures can reduce rescue time for trapped victims. He also added that the rescue process could be more difficult in regions ravaged by civil war in Syria.
NATO and the European Union offered support to the earthquake-affected region with money, supplies, and search and rescue teams. Although the vast majority of support went to Turkey, Russia and Israel both offered their assistance, though it was unclear if they would help with the area held by rebels in the northwest.
The opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense said the situation in the enclave was “disastrous.”
Stephane Dujarric (UN spokesperson) stated that at least 325 buildings were damaged and 224 were destroyed in Northwestern Syria.
TURKEY HIT 7.8 MAGNITUDE EEARTHQUAKE. FELT ACROSS THE MIDDLE EST
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The bodies of several children who died in conflict with Syria were found in Azmarin in the hills near the Turkish border. They were wrapped in blankets and taken to hospital.
A total of 20 rescuers were deployed in Adana. They used powersaws to remove concrete blocks from the collapsed buildings to make it possible for survivors to get out of danger or get rescued.
This was a report by the Associated Press.
The full article is available here here
