According to the civil protection agency, the death toll in Turkey’s earthquake has risen to 41,020. About 5,900 people have been killed in Syria so far. In total, nearly 47,000 people in both countries lost their lives in the devastating earthquake. Turkey now stops searching for buried people almost everywhere – there are hardly any chances of survival (see video above).
According to the United Nations, 8.8 million people in Syria are affected by the consequences of the earthquake disaster. “The majority of them are expected to require some form of humanitarian assistance,” UN deputy Syrian envoy Najat Rochdi wrote on Twitter on Sunday. In the days following the February 6 earthquake, activists and aid workers in the rebel areas of northwestern Syria complained about the lack of aid from the UN.
The disaster hit the region hard in many ways. It is difficult to foresee what the consequences will be for students and the class. Yasmine Sherif, director of the UN Education Cannot Wait (ECW) fund, told Al Jazeera TV that 600 schools had been destroyed in Syria alone. The fund must provide 6.5 million euros in emergency grants to continue to provide children in Syria with access to education.
Rescue operations only in two provinces
Some rescue operations on site, where the clean-up work also started, came to an end over the weekend. For example, a search and rescue team from Qatar ended its two-week mission in southern Turkey. The Turkish civil protection agency Afad announced on Sunday that searches in nine of the eleven affected provinces have ended. Only in Kahramanmaras and Hatay will the search for the buried continue, Afad chairman Yunus Sezer said in Ankara. Due to the elapsed time and the cold weather, there are hardly any chances of survival.
Civil protection estimates that more than 1.2 million people have left the affected region of Turkey. More than a million affected people are currently temporarily in shelters. On Sunday, US Secretary of State Blinken and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu reviewed the devastation in Hatay province, which was hit hard by the quake. He also wants to meet the affected families at Incirlik Air Force Base, the State Department said.
During his visit, Blinken promised another 100 million dollars (about 93 million euros) in aid. The US has now pledged a total of $185 million. Blinken explained that the aid should go to the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The money is used to buy relief supplies such as medicines, blankets, mattresses, tents and warm clothing. In addition, the provision of clean water and sanitary facilities, as well as education for children, must be guaranteed.
Precarious supply situation in Syria
In Syria, the situation was devastating for many people even before the earthquake. Bombing and fighting during years of civil war, a severe economic crisis and often scarce public facilities have made the country a focal point for humanitarian workers. More than 15 million people needed some form of assistance before the earthquake hit, according to the UN.
And some two weeks after the quakes, not everyone in northwestern Syria has received emergency aid. “We are just at the beginning and we have not yet seen the worst,” said Muhannad Hadi, UN emergency coordinator for Syria. So far, for example, about 60,000 people have been provided with water and about 13,000 earthquake victims have been provided with tents. According to the UN, about 40,000 households are currently homeless.
Since the disaster, more than 140 trucks carrying UN relief supplies have driven from Turkey to rebel-held northwestern Syria. There, more than 9,000 buildings were completely or partially destroyed, leaving at least 11,000 people homeless. According to the UN, those affected most needed tents, among other things.
More help on the way
A day after the World Food Program (WFP) criticized the lack of aid to earthquake victims in Syrian rebel areas, a convoy from the aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières departed for the region. The organization announced on Sunday that 14 trucks had crossed the border from Turkey and were heading for disaster areas in northwestern Syria.
Despite reports to the contrary, missing professional football player Christian Atsu was also found dead on Saturday. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Christian Atsu,” the Turkish Football Federation wrote on Twitter. The Ghanaian died under a high-rise building in Hatay province, which was particularly hard hit by the quakes.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
