Search teams and aid have been poured into Turkey and Syria as rescuers work in freezing temperatures - sometimes using their bare hands - to dig through the remains of buildings flattened by Monday's powerful earthquake.
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Search teams and aid poured into Turkey and Syria on Tuesday as rescuers working in freezing temperatures and sometimes using their bare hands dug through the remains of buildings flattened by a powerful earthquake. The death toll soared above 7,200 and was still expected to rise.
But with the damage spread over a wide area, the massive relief operation often struggled to reach devastated towns, and voices that had been crying out from the rubble fell silent.
“We could hear their voices, they were calling for help," Ali Silo said. His two relatives could not be saved in the Turkish town of Nurdagi.
In the end, it was left to Silo, a Syrian who arrived a decade ago, and other residents to recover the bodies and those of two other victims.
Monday's magnitude 7.8 quake and a cascade of strong aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of kilometres across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. The shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syria’s 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.
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Debunking misleading content about the Turkey earthquake
One of the most shared videos on Twitter of the search and rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria has been viewed more than 1.3 million times. Multiple buildings are seen crumbling to the ground which the Twitter user attributes to the earthquake in Turkey.
But the video actually dates back to 2021 and shows the collapse of the Surfside condominium in Florida, which killed 98 people.
Read more at our story here:
Ukraine says it will send search and rescue team to Turkey
Ukraine will send an 87-strong search and rescue team to Turkey to “help eliminate the consequences” of the earthquake, according to the Ukrainian Cabinet office’s website.
Earlier Tuesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a separate decree instructing his Cabinet to “ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Turkey.”
(AP)
Three British nationals missing: UK foreign secretary
At least three British nationals are missing following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, according to the UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly.
While speaking in the Commons, he said: “As of this morning, we know that three British nationals are missing and the Foreign Office’s Crisis Response Hub is working to support the at least 35 British nationals who have been directly affected by these earthquakes."
President of Egypt calls Syrian counterpart for first time in more than a decade
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi phoned Syria’s leader Bashar Assad Tuesday, offering condolences for earthquake victims. It was the first call between the two leaders in over a decade. In a statement, el-Sissi said his government would send humanitarian aid to Syria.
(AP)
Rescue workers pull newborn from rubble
Rescue workers in Jandairis, Syria discovered a baby girl born under the rubble of her family home. When she was found, she was still connected to her dead mother by her umbilical cord.
She is the only surviving member of her family.
In the locality bordering Turkey, rescue workers removed the bodies of her father, Abdallah Mleihan, her mother, Aafra, her three sisters, her brother and her aunt from the ruins of their home.
"We were looking for Abu Roudayna [Abdallah's nickname] and his family. We first found his sister, then his wife, then Abu Roudayna, who were huddled together," Khalil Sawadi, a close relative of the family, said.
"Then we heard a noise while we were digging […] we cleared the ground and found this little girl, thank God," he added.
More than 8,000 pulled from rubble in Turkey
Rescue workers have pulled more than 8,000 people from the debris in Turkey alone. And another 380,000 have taken refuge in the country's government shelters or hotels, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, said on Tuesday.
(AP)
UK issues travel warning for parts of Turkey
Travellers should avoid heading to parts of Turkey, UK authorities have warned - but would-be helpers can donate money instead.
Read more at our story here:
Turkish and Kurdish diasporas launch donation drives in Germany
Turkish and Kurdish communities in Germany have launched donation drives to send money, warm clothes and blankets to victims of the devastating earthquake.
As news of the disaster spread and sparked frantic appeals for help, volunteers began collecting aid in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich for the thousands left injured or homeless after their homes were destroyed.
Germany has around 2.3 million people of Turkish origin, the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world.
(Reuters)
Turkey declares a state of emergency
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared a state of emergency in the regions hit by the earthquake. He said in a speech that a state of emergency will be in place for 3 months in 10 provinces.
"We are facing one of the biggest disasters, not only in our republican history but also in our geography and the world," he said.
"Our state has started to work in disaster areas with all its institutions, personnel, vehicles and the spirit of mobilization.”
Yerevan offers to send aid to Syria and Turkey
Armenia’s foreign minister says his country has offered to help Syria and Turkey in their response to the deadly quake, despite difficult relations between Yerevan and Ankara.
Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters in Berlin that Armenia is prepared to send aid goods and rescue teams to both countries, but didn’t immediately say whether the offers had been accepted.
Concern for heritage sites in Syria and Turkey
The UN's cultural agency says it is conducting a preliminary survey of damage to heritage sites in the earthquake-hit areas, with an aim to help secure and stabilise them. The Paris-based UNESCO is “particularly concerned about the situation in the ancient city of Aleppo” in Syria, which is on the agency's list of endangered World Heritage.
“Significant damage has been noted in the citadel. The western tower of the old city wall has collapsed and several buildings in the souks have been weakened,” the statement said.
In Turkey, UNESCO said it was saddened by the news of the collapse of several buildings at the Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens, a World Heritage site that dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times.
(AP)
Thirty search and rescue teams sent to Turkey
More than 30 search and rescue teams from 21 countries, including 19 EU member states, have been mobilised to aid Turkey under the EU Civil Protection mechanism, according to Balazs Ujvari, a European Commission spokesperson.
Syria has still not made an official request to activate the mechanism, but the European Commission is looking into possible ways to provide more humanitarian funds to NGOs present in the country
Footballer Christian Atsu found alive
Former Chelsea and Newcastle footballer Christian Atsu was found alive under rubble in Turkey, Ghana's ambassador to the country said Tuesday.
The 31-year-old joined the football club Hatayspor in September. And he was based in the southern province of Hatay, near the earthquake’s epicentre.
"I have good news. I have just been informed by the president of the Ghanaian association that Christian Atsu has been found in Hatay," ambassador Francisca Ashietey-Odunton told Ghanaian radio Asaase.
Here's a glance at some of the aid European countries are providing Turkey and Syria:
- The EU has mobilised search and rescue teams to help Turkey, and the bloc's Copernicus satellite system has been activated to provide emergency mapping services.
- Russian rescue teams were sent to Syria, adding to the 10 units comprising 300 people already on the ground.
- Greece is sending Turkey a team of 21 rescuers, two rescue dogs and a special rescue vehicle, together with a structural engineer, five doctors and seismic planning experts in a military transport plane.
- Spain will set up a field hospital in Turkey.
- Germany’s THW civil protection agency is sending a 50-member rescue team to Turkey. A team from the group International Search and Rescue Germany has arrived in Turkey and is heading to Kirikhan, near the Syrian border.
- The UK is sending 76 search-and-rescue specialists with equipment and dogs, as well as an emergency medical team, to Turkey. It also says it’s in contact with the UN about getting support to victims in Syria.
- The Czech Republic is sending Turkey a team of 68 rescuers, including firefighters, doctors, structural engineers and also experts with sniffer dogs.
- Poland is sending Turkey 76 firefighters and eight trained dogs, with equipment.
- Romania is sending specialized personnel and material to Turkey on two military aircraft.
23 million people could be affected in Turkey and Syria: WHO
Some 23 million people could be affected by the earthquakes that rocked Turkey and northern Syria, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.
"Maps of the events show that 23 million people are potentially at risk, including around 5 million vulnerable people," said a WHO official, Adelheid Marschang, at a regular meeting of the organization's executive board.
"WHO is aware of Turkey's strong response capacity and considers that the main unmet needs could be in Syria in the immediate and medium term," she added.
"The delivery of aid across the border to northwest Syria is likely to be disrupted due to the damage caused by the earthquake. This in itself is already a huge crisis.”
(AFP)
13.5 million people were living in quake-hit areas
Turkish government officials said around 13.5 million people were living in quake-damaged areas and that some progress had been made in restoring power and re-opening highways in the disaster-affected areas.
Meanwhile, thousands of aid volunteers in Istanbul flocked to the city’s main airport offering to participate in the search and rescue efforts.
(AP)
UAE pledges €12 million in aid to Syria
The United Arab Emirates pledged around €12 million in aid to Syria after an earthquake killed at least 1,000 people in the country.
UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum "ordered urgent humanitarian aid to be sent to the affected people in Syria," the official WAM news agency said.
The aid is valued at 50 million dirhams, or €12.1 million.
The agency added that the UAE has also sent a plane to Adana airport, in southern Turkey, "carrying search and rescue teams, crews and medical equipment."
The Gulf nation plans to establish a field hospital in Turkey and send search and rescue teams to Syria, along with relief supplies and emergency aid, according to the same source.
(AFP)
Syria calls on the UN for help with rescue efforts
War-ravaged Syria is calling on the United Nations and all member states to help with rescue efforts, health services, shelter and food aid following a massive earthquake that killed thousands in Syria and Turkey.
The quake-damaged area in Syria is divided between government-held territory and the country’s last opposition-held enclave, which is surrounded by government forces and borders Turkey.
Syria’s UN ambassador, Bassam Sabbagh, told reporters that UN Secretary-General António Guterres “assured us that the UN will do all it’s possible in helping Syria in this very difficult situation.” Sabbagh said he had delivered a letter to Guterres from the country’s foreign minister requesting help.
(AP)
How to get aid to earthquake survivors as fast as possible
When it comes to rapid, emergency disaster relief, aid organisations play a crucial, life-saving role. But how do they mobilise on the ground and deliver vital help as quickly and effectively as possible? And how do they determine where the help is needed most urgently?
Read more at our story here:
Turkey deploys thousands of rescue workers
Turkey has deployed more than 24,400 search and rescue personnel to the quake area.
The number was expected to rise with the arrival of additional personnel though the wintry conditions were hampering their deployment, disaster management agency official Orhan Tatar said.
“The adverse weather conditions continue in the region. Therefore, from time to time it may be difficult to transport these search and rescue teams to the region,” he said.
Temperatures overnight in the quake-hit city of Gaziantep sank to -5 C.
(AP)
Here are Tuesday's main points so far:
- Rescuers worked to pull more survivors from the rubble as cold, snowy conditions shorten the time needed to save lives.
- The earthquake wreaked new damage and suffering in Syria’s last rebel-held enclave after years of fighting and bombardment.
- Dozens of countries are sending experts and aid to help rescue efforts.
- The head of the World Health Organization says the UN health agency is sending three chartered flights of medical supplies, including surgical trauma kits, to both Turkey and Syria from its logistics hub in Dubai.