According to the latest data, more than 20,000 people died as a result of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. Turkey’s Emergency Situations Ministry said late Thursday that the country’s death toll exceeded 17,000, with more than 3,000 quake victims recorded in Syria.
Many still remain under the rubble. The rescue operation continues, but there is less hope of finding survivors under the rubble.
Tens of thousands of people were injured, thousands of homes were destroyed, hundreds of thousands were left homeless. The World Health Organization appreciates the number of people affected in one way or another by the earthquake, 23 million; among them nearly one and a half million children.
In Syria, a newborn baby has been pulled out alive from the rubble, connected by the umbilical cord to his mother, who died in the earthquake.
In Turkey, serious complaints are filed against the authorities and builders, who allegedly failed to comply with the standards when constructing multi-storey buildings in seismically active areas. The criticisms are also aimed at the country’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In this context, the country temporarily limits access to Twitter.
The Turkish leader responded by saying that it was impossible to prepare for an earthquake as devastating as the one that occurred in the southeast of the country and in neighboring Syria. He acknowledged “some problems”, but now, according to him, the situation is under control.
According to Fitch Ratings, Turkey’s economic losses from the earthquake could reach $4 billion.
In neighboring Syria, ravaged by years of civil war, the situation was even worse.
It was only on Thursday (the fourth day after the earthquake) that the first convoy of humanitarian aid reached northern Syria, where the last enclave held by opponents of President Bashar al-Assad is located. Rescuers report that at least 1900 people died here, hundreds of people were under the rubble of collapsed buildings.
Syrian authorities say the sanctions imposed on Bashar al-Assad’s regime are aggravating the disaster. The country lacks construction materials and oil.
The day before, the American authorities announced that the current American sanctions against Syria will not affect transactions relating to assistance to it in the context of the earthquake until August 2023. At the same time, the Oil-related transactions, interaction with sanctioned individuals and the Syrian government are still prohibited.
On February 6, an earthquake of magnitude 7.7 hit Turkey, it also affected several regions of Syria. After the earthquake, more than 1200 replicas have been registered. Turkey has declared mourning until February 12.
Rescue teams and doctors have arrived in Turkey and Syria from 70 countries. The UN has allocated $25 million from its emergency fund to provide emergency humanitarian aid to victims in Turkey and Syria. The United States is also providing $85 million for earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria.
