Turkey earthquake – latest: British crews join rescue effort as death toll tops 16,000
Victims of the massive earthquakes which wrought utter devastation in Turkey and Syria have expressed anger over the government response – as Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the tremor’s epicentre.
More than 16,000 people have so far been reported dead in the two countries, with three times that number injured, according to authorities – making it the world’s deadliest seismic event since the 2011 tsunami which killed nearly 20,000 people.
The search for survivors has been impeded by sub-zero temperatures and close to 200 aftershocks, which made the search through unstable structures perilous.
Rescuers have warned that “time is running out” in the search for survivors, with UK-based Muslim charity SKT Welfare warning that “people are losing that window where they might still survive if they are stuck under the rubble”.
Rescuers “on the ground right now are unfortunately pulling dead bodies from the rubble”, she said, warning that hospitals in northern Syria are “running out of fuel and electricity, they need diesel to run the generators, they need painkillers, antibiotics, all the medication”.
Key Points
‘Time running out’ for survivors trapped beneath rubble
Anger as search yet to reach people in devastated areas
Miracle baby born in Turkey earthquake rubble as mother trapped during labour dies
Screams heard from under rubble in Turkey
World Health Organisation
10:55 , William Mata
The World Health Organisation has put forward the importance for humanitarian organisations to act quickly.
Robert Holden, incident response manager, said many are surviving “out in the open, in worsening and horrific conditions”.
“We are in real danger of seeing a secondary disaster which may cause harm to more people than the initial disaster if we don’t move with the same pace and intensity as we are doing on the search and rescue side,” he added. “People need the basic elements to survive the next period.”
Key headlines at noon
11:59 , William Mata
- The death toll has passed 17,000 in Syria and Turkey,
- Hundreds of thousands have been left homeless in the middle of winter,
- The first UN aid convoy has crossed into north west Syria from Turkey,
- A Turkish official said the disaster posed "very serious difficulties" for the holding of an election scheduled for May 14,
- British crews have arrived to carry out a humanitarian effort,
- Access to Twitter has now been restored after a blackout.
Disasters Emergency Committee launches Syria-Turkey appeal
11:46 , William Mata
The DEC, an umbrella group of UK charities which coordinate appeals, has announced it will be looking to help in this way.
Saleh Saeed, of DEC, said “humanitarian assistance, including food, water and shelter,” was now the focus with it looking increasingly difficult to see futher survivors being saved from the rubble.
Meanwhile, the first United Nations convoy carrying aid to Syrians stricken three days ago by a deadly earthquake crossed from Turkey on Thursday, witnesses and a border crossing official said.
The convoy entered Syria at the Bab Al Hawa crossing, the sources said. Turkish authorities said they would open other crossing points in two days if security was sound.
How does Turkey / Syria earthquake compare to other disasters this century?
11:26 , William Mata
The Turkey / Syria earthquake came to a magnitude of 7.8, making it one of the most destructive of this century. Here are five others that have shaken the world.
INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI
A 9.15 magnitude earthquake off Sumatra on December 26, 2004, triggered a tsunami that barrelled into Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and many other countries in the region, killing at least 230,000 people, leaving 43,000 missing and devastating villages and tourist islands.
HAITI 2010 EARTHQUAKE
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 13, 2010, devastated Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince and killed about 316,000 people. The United Nations estimated 80,000 buildings in Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas were destroyed.
MYANMAR CYCLONE
Cyclone Nargis swept across the Irrawaddy Delta and southern Yangon, the former capital, on the evening of May 2, 2008, with winds of 240 kph (150 mph). Nearly 140,000 people died and 2.4 million were severely affected.
CHINA QUAKE
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit China's Sichuan province on May 12, 2008, killing about 87,600 people.
PAKISTAN QUAKE
A 7.6 magnitude quake that struck northeast of Islamabad on October 8, 2005, killed at least 73,000 people. The quake also rocked Indian Kashmir, killing 1,244 there.
Combined death toll for both Syria and Turkey passes 17,000
11:11 , William Mata
Accounts of news sources now suggest the number of fatalities in both Syria and Turkey comes to more than 17,000.
Around 14,000 of those are in Turkey - where 63,000 have been injured.
Experts have said the figure is likely to rise from the 17, 176 is currently stands at.
Crews still finding live victims in survivable voids
10:41 , William Mata
British crews completing rescue missions in Turkey have reported finding live victims, which is “surprising and encouraging”.
David O’Neill, head of the UK International Search and Rescue team in Turkey, said the fact a lot of people were in bed when the blast hit is a good sign as they are already wrapped in blankets.
He said: “We are still finding live victims. It is surprising, but it’s encouraging the way these buildings have collapsed. The people that were recovered yesterday were very dehydrated, slightly hypothermic because of the extremely cold conditions here. They’re still alive.”
Latest pictures from Turkey
10:37 , William Mata
Turkey faces ‘very serious difficulties’ in holding election in May
10:16 , William Mata
A Turkish official said the disaster posed "very serious difficulties" for the holding of an election scheduled for May 14 in which President Tayyip Erdogan has been expected face the toughest challenge in his two decades in power.
On the ground, many people in Turkey and Syria spent a third night sleeping outside or in cars in freezing winter temperatures, their homes destroyed or so shaken by the quakes they were too afraid to re-enter. Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless in the middle of winter.
The number of people killed by the quake, which struck in the dead of night and was followed by powerful aftershocks, is on course to be larger than in 1999 when a similarly powerful tremor killed 17,000 people in Turkey's more densely populated northwest.
‘Syrians need more of absolutely everything’ - Turkey blocks Twitter
09:53 , William Mata
Syrians impacted by the deadly earthquake that struck their country and Turkey on Monday need "more of absolutely everything" in terms of aid, the United Nations' special envoy Geir Pedersen said on Thursday.
The UN had been assured the first assistance would cross from Turkey into Syria on Thursday, he told a briefing in Geneva, calling for assurances that there would be no political hindrances to getting aid to where it was most needed.
Meanwhile, in Turkey a block has reportedly been put on Twitter.
First convoy of humanitarian assistance reaches border
09:43 , William Mata
The first convoy of humanitarian assistance for people in northwest Syria since Monday's devastating earthquake is en route to the southern Turkish border with the hope of crossing on Thursday, two aid sources told Reuters.
One source said the convoy included six trucks.
A Turkish official said the Bab al-Hawa border crossing was open for humanitarian aid and authorities will open a few more crossings after two days if security is sound.
The United Nations has described access to the opposition-controlled area of Syria through Bab al-Hawa as a "lifeline" for some 4 million people who it says rely on humanitarian assistance.
Some of the top points from Thursday
09:22 , William Mata
- Rescuers pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings Thursday, but hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after a catastrophic earthquake and series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 16,000.
- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to travel Thursday to the quake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis amid ongoing criticism that the government's response has been too slow.
- In addition to 16,000 people killed in Turkey, the country's disaster management agency said more than 60,000 have been injured. On the Syrian side of the border, 3,162 have been reported dead and more than 5,000 injured.
-Tens of thousands are thought to have lost their homes.
- Experts said the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly. At the same time, they said, it is too soon to abandon hope.
Relief efforts hampered by ‘raft of issues'
09:10 , William Mata
Relief efforts in Turkey and Syria are being hampered by a "raft of issues", a former British Army logistics expert has said.
Retired Major General Sir Tim Cross told Sky News: "The sadness of the slow response - I don't want to get political about it, but the slow response in terms of what is going on in Turkey and indeed in Syria.
"You need people on the ground allocating resources, understanding what is needed. You need to clear the roads to get in and out of these areas.
"You need support helicopters to get people away from the danger area and further danger. So there is a whole raft of issues that are going on here."
He added: "You've got the people who are buried but you also have the survivors, and that is more akin to what I was getting up to in Kosovo and Baghdad.
"Those survivors need to be given shelter, water, food, sanitation, medical support, power - all of those issues that are essentially logistics issues."
Turkey earthquakes may have moved entire country by up to six metres
09:00 , William Mata
A series of powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey have likely moved the entire country by upto six metres, according to Italian seismologist Carlo Doglioni.
Two major earthquakes of magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5 jolted southern Turkey and northern Syria and killed over 15,000 people. Rescuers have been searching through the rubble for more bodies.
The Turkish disaster management agency said 12,391 people had so far been confirmed to have died in the country, while on the other side of the border in Syria, another 2,902 bodies have been recovered.
Temperatures drop to -5C
08:46 , William Mata
Temperatures in Turkey dropped to minus five degrees early on Thursday as thousands of people spent the night in makeshift shelters and cars following this week’s devastating earthquakes.
Rescue and relief workers continued to comb through the rubble as people feared going back to their homes.
Authorities in the Turkish city of Gaziantep have asked thousands of residents to stay away from their homes, fearing aftershocks from the earthquakes.
“When we sit down, it is painful, and I fear for anyone who is trapped under the rubble in this,” said Melek Halici, who wrapped her two-year-old daughter in a blanket as they watched rescuers working late into the night.
Death toll reaches 16,000, Lammy says that humanitarian efforts must come first
08:34 , William Mata
The total number to have died has now reached 16,000 - it has been reported.
The first 7.8-magnitude quake hit the Turkish city of Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, reducing thousands of homes and buildings across the south of the country and northern Syria to rubble as people slept. A series of aftershocks has left tens of thousands injured and survivors are feared trapped under thousands of collapsed buildings.
Relief efforts have been hampered by damaged infrastructure, freezing winter temperatures and limited medical facilities.
Labour MP David Lammy told Sky News he was aware of issues of corruption within Turkey.
“Today it is about saving the lives of those who remain, tomorrow and next week it’s about the bitter temperatures and how you house, clothe and feed people, and then it is about the reconstruction effort,” he said. “Yes there are questions about how the nature of democracy works... but my principle concern must be the humanitarian effort that is taking place.”
Syria earthquake: Volunteers sing for child trapped under the rubble of her house
08:23 , William Mata
UK International Search and Rescue Team arrives in Turkey
08:12 , William Mata
Around 70 members of the UK International Search and Rescue Team have arrived in Turkey to assist with the search operation as the death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake approached 12,000.
The team of volunteers, which included firefighters, medics, engineers and vets, was joined by crews from at least 24 countries.
UK International Search and Rescue team coordinator Mark Davey said it had taken a lot of organisation to get to Antakya, in the Hatay province, due to the amount of destruction caused to basic infrastructure.
"Transportation is very difficult here, so it took a lot of organisation to get enough vehicles to bring us," he told the Associated Press.
"It took a long while to get a lot of the equipment over here on the vehicles, on buses. (We had) a lot of help from the local people as well - from bus companies."
Blog closed
Wednesday 8 February 2023 22:00 , Joe Middleton
We are pausing live coverage for now. The blog will be back tomorrow with the latest updates on the earthquakes that have caused devastation in Turkey and Syria.
Turkish and Syrian families in UK fear for loved ones caught in deadly earthquake
Wednesday 8 February 2023 21:45 , Joe Middleton
Turkish and Syrian families in the UK fear for their loved ones after the deadly earthquakes that devastated both countries on Monday.
The initial 7.8 magnitude tremor is the worst to hit Turkey since 1999 with a death toll of more than 11,000 so far.
Rim Turkmani has relatives and friends in Aleppo, Syria, but doesn’t yet know if all have survived the natural disaster. Those that have are forced to lie down on cold streets as there is nowhere to seek shelter and going indoors is not safe, she told the Independent.
Turkish and Syrian families in UK fear for loved ones caught in deadly earthquake
PMQs: Rishi Sunak announces UK rescue support following Turkey-Syria earthquake
Wednesday 8 February 2023 20:45 , Joe Middleton
Trapped in quake ruins, girl protects her brother for 36 hours as they wait to be saved
Wednesday 8 February 2023 19:45 , Joe Middleton
Two children lodged under the concrete remains of their home in earthquake-struck Syria have been rescued after enduring a freezing 36-hour wait.
Mariam, the elder sibling, is seen gently stroking her younger brother’s head as they lie wedged between what appears to be the remains of their bed and a collapsed concrete wall after Monday’s devastating tremor.
She is able to move her arm just enough to cover her brother’s face, offering some protection from the great clouds of dust billowing from the cluster of fallen buildings.
Trapped in quake ruins, girl protects her brother for 36-hour wait to be saved
In earthquake rescues, noisy gear and digging, then silence
Wednesday 8 February 2023 18:47 , Joe Middleton
They lifted slabs of cement with enormous cranes and smashed rubble with jackhammers. Then, they stopped.
Silence. Key to detecting the faintest noise that could be the sign of a survivor buried beneath rubble from Monday’s quake in Turkey and Syria.
Among the wreckage of a collapsed 14-story building in the Turkish city of Adana, the shriek of an whistle pierced the noise every few minutes on Wednesday. Rescue workers hollered for quiet, and listened for any hint of voices from the debris. Hundreds of people watching hushed.
In earthquake rescues, noisy gear and digging, then silence
Moment bystanders run for cover as building collapses after Turkey earthquake
Wednesday 8 February 2023 17:35 , Joe Middleton
Turkey ‘accepts offer of help from Cyprus’ – despite not recognising its government
Wednesday 8 February 2023 16:14 , Andy Gregory
Turkey has accepted an offer from Cyprus to send a team of rescuers to help in the wake of the earthquakes, the latter has said – despite Ankara refusing to recognise its legitimacy.
A spokesperson for Cyprus’s foreign ministry told the Associated Press that Cyprus’ offer was made through the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism and that a rescue team of about 20 members was being assembled.
They said it was unclear where in Turkey the team would be dispatched, adding that the urgency for humanitarian aid has superseded the complex politics between the two nations.
Turkey does not recognise Cyprus as a state and has stationed thousands of troops in the island’s breakaway Turkish Cypriot north since 1974, when it invaded the island following a coup there aimed at union with Greece.
Girl protects little brother as they lay trapped in earthquake rubble for 36-hours
Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:51 , Andy Gregory
Two children lodged under the concrete remains of their home in earthquake-struck Syria have been rescued after enduring a freezing 36-hour wait, my colleague Emily Atkinson reports.
Mariam, the elder sibling, is seen gently stroking her younger brother’s head as they lie wedged between what appears to be the remains of their bed and a collapsed concrete wall after Monday’s devastating tremor.
She is able to move her arm just enough to cover her brother’s face, offering some protection from the great clouds of dust billowing from the cluster of fallen buildings.
Whispering to her rescuers from underneath the remains of their home in Besnaya-Bseineh, a small village in Haram, Syria, Mariam says:“Get me out of here, I’ll do anything for you.”
Trapped in quake ruins, girl protects her brother for 36-hour wait to be saved
Erdogan faces mounting criticism over response to disaster
Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:29 , Andy Gregory
President Tayyip Erdogan is facing mounting criticism over his government’s response to the earthquake – ahead of a tight election in three months’ time.
From the outset, victims of the disaster have complained of a lack of equipment and support as they waited helplessly next to rubble of the many buildings decimated by the powerful tremors and roughly 200 aftershocks.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party, had earlier in the week said the disaster was a time for unity, not criticism. But on Wednesday he accused the government of failing to cooperate with local authorities and weakening non-governmental organisations that could help.
“I refuse to look at what is happening as above politics and align with the ruling party. This collapse is exactly the result of systematic profiteering politics,” he said. “If there is anyone responsible for this process, it is Erdogan. It is this ruling party that has not prepared the country for an earthquake for 20 years.”
Nasuh Mahruki, founder of a search and rescue group active in response to the 1999 earthquake that killed 17,000, said the army did not act soon enough because Mr Erdogan’s government scrapped a protocol enabling it to respond without instruction.
“In the first seconds [after the 1999 quake], the Turkish Armed Forces started to work and were on the scene with the people within hours,” he told Reuters, contrasting this with the current situation where the military had to wait for instructions.
“Now it seems the responsibility is with AFAD [Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority], but it is not prepared for such a colossal problem,” Mahruki added.
A government official, who requested anonymity, told the news agency that the efforts were hampered by damaged roads, bad weather and being unable to use airports due to damage, adding: “It seems that we should have been more prepared.”
Erdogan vows nobody will ‘be left in the streets’ as he tours ‘tent city'
Wednesday 8 February 2023 15:11 , Andy Gregory
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that nobody will “be left in the streets” as he toured a “tent city” in hard-hit Kahramanmaras where people forced from their homes were living.
Amid calls for his government to send more help to the disaster zone, Mr Erdogan conceded initial shortfalls in the response to the disaster but urged people to ignore those he claimed were “provocateurs”.
Earthquakes have created ‘nightmare worst-case scenario’, warns Red Cross chief
Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:47 , Andy Gregory
The massive earthquakes have created a “nightmare worst-case scenario” in Syria, the manager for the Red Cross’s Middle East division has said.
Jeremy Smith, 35, told the Press Association news agency that Red Cross teams in Turkey and Syria have mobilised ambulances and search and rescue staff and volunteers, and have issued 25,000 heaters, 30,000 blankets, 2,000 tents and more than half a million food items so far.
“In the coming hours and days, the focus is starting to ensure that we are doing proper dead body management, that we have body bags going to where they need to be, that we can have safe and dignified burials for the victims of this earthquake,” he said.
“That’s been happening since the start of the response, but we’re hearing news from colleagues in Turkey that there aren’t enough body bags for the people that have been killed. That is a big and growing need for us, as well as getting in specialised psychosocial teams.”
Speaking about Syria, he said: “This is a crisis within a crisis. So much of Aleppo and Hama and the other affected cities in Syria already have massively reduced medical infrastructure, not enough electricity, not enough fuel. Because this has happened in the middle of winter, this is really the nightmare worst-case scenario for us at Red Cross.”
300,000 displaced in Syria, state news says
Wednesday 8 February 2023 14:01 , Andy Gregory
Nearly 300,000 people have been displaced from their homes by the earthquakes, Syrian state media has said.
These figures appear to refer only to parts of Syria under government control, not those held by other factions.
State news agency Sana quoted Hussein Makhlouf, minister of local administration and environment, as saying that authorities had opened 180 shelters for displaced people.
UK ‘providing all assistance required of us’, says Sunak
Wednesday 8 February 2023 13:32 , Andy Gregory
Following the devastating earthquakes, the UK government is “providing all assistance that they have required of us”, Rishi Sunak has insisted, after speaking with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.
During an exchange at PMQs, Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer said that “many families here in the UK will be anxiously awaiting news” from Turkey and Syria, adding: “I’m sure I speak for the whole in saying our hearts go out to each and every victim and their families. And we must do all we can to support the rescue and recovery effort.”
Mr Sunak responded: “Can I first join with the honourable member for paying our respects and thoughts to the people of Turkey and Syria, particularly those affected by the earthquake and the first responders who are doing such a valiant job?
“The House will be reassured to know that we are in touch with the Turkish and Syrian authorities and providing all assistance that they have required of us, including 77 search and rescue responders that arrived yesterday and have already begun work.
“And I spoke to the president yesterday to ensure that we are in close communication.”
Turkey’s stock exchange suspends trading
Wednesday 8 February 2023 12:58 , AP
Turkey’s stock exchange stopped trading after circuit breakers were tripped by sharp declines in the benchmark BIST index following Monday’s devastating earthquake.
The Borsa Istanbul’s public disclosure platform announced the suspension on Wednesday. It said trading in equities, futures and the derivatives markets had been suspended, but gave no further details.
The benchmark had fallen more than 7 per cent earlier in the morning. It sank 8.6 per cent on Tuesday. The catastrophe has added to the country’s woes as it contends with high inflation and an economic downturn.
Man travels 2,000 miles from Wales to find family buried in Turkey earthquake rubble
Wednesday 8 February 2023 12:32 , Andy Gregory
A man who travelled more than 2,000 miles to reach his childhood home in disaster-struck Turkey arrived to find his family still buried under the rubble.
Ahmat Yilmaz journeyed through the night from south Wales to the mountaintop village of Tut, in Turkey’s Adiyaman province, after hearing his brother Ali had died in a deadly earthquake.
When he arrived, he found his brother’s wife was also seriously injured and his two nieces were still buried among the rubble.
My colleague Emily Atkinson has the full story:
Man travels 2,000 miles from Wales to find family buried in Turkey earthquake rubble
Syria officially requests help from EU
Wednesday 8 February 2023 12:10 , Andy Gregory
Syria has requested assistance from the European Union, the European Commission’s crisis management chief has said.
Member states are being encouraged to contribute with assistance as requested, after Damascus requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism – used when the scale of an emergency or disaster overwhelms a country’s response capabilities.
Once activated, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinates and finances assistance provided by EU member states and eight additional participating nations.
Erdogan admits initial problems with earthquakes response
Wednesday 8 February 2023 11:35 , Andy Gregory
Turkey’s president Tayyip Erdogan has admitted that there were some problems in the initial response to the earthquakes – but urged people to ignore those he claimed were “provocateurs”.
Speaking to reporters in the Kahramanmaras province, near the epicentre of the earthquake, with constant ambulance sirens in the background, Mr Erdogan said there had been problems with roads and airports but that everything would get better by the day.
He also said citizens should only heed communication from authorities and ignore “provocateurs,” as thousands of people complain about the lack of resources and slow response by officials.
Death toll surpasses 11,000
Wednesday 8 February 2023 11:19 , Andy Gregory
The death toll has now leapt to more than 11,000, in what is the deadliest seismic event since the 2011 tsunami – which killed 20,000 people and was sparked by the third-largest tremor recorded since 1900.
Fatalities in Turkey alone have now passed 8,500, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a visit to the disaster zone, while the death toll in government-held areas of Syria has climbed to 1,250.
At least 1,280 people have also died in the rebel-held northwest, according to volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets.
Anger as survivors urge government to send more help
Wednesday 8 February 2023 11:11 , Andy Gregory
There are reported to be some 60,000 aid personnel in the areas in Turkey devastated by the earthquakes – but the scale of the diaster means many are still waiting for help, with calls for the government to send more assistance.
One woman, Arzu Dedeoglu, told the BBC last night in Iskenderun that her two nieces were stuck under the rubble, and that no help had arrived for a day, saying: “They are gone now, I am sure they are already gone. Why couldn’t they have come earlier?”
A 64-year-old in the southern city of Antakya asked Reuters: “Where are the tents, where are food trucks?”
“We haven’t seen any food distribution here, unlike previous disasters in our country,” they said. “We survived the earthquake, but we will die here due to hunger or cold here.”
Fire at Turkish port ‘under control’
Wednesday 8 February 2023 10:47 , Andy Gregory
A container blaze at the port of Iskenderun has been brought under control, Turkey’s maritime authority has said – after an intensive fight to extinguish it from land, sea and air.
Operations at the port were shut down until further notice after a fire broke out due to Monday’s earthquakes, and freight ships were diverted to other ports.
A source from the port told Reuters that the flames had not spread to the area where flammable materials were stored, and that the nature of the fire, which has unleashed a huge cloud of black smoke over the city, was still unclear.
“We are suspecting it is plastic raw material or chemical but we could not clearly determine it as the containers collapsed and scattered,” the source said.
Children sleeping in cars as too scared to go inside, charity warns
Wednesday 8 February 2023 10:17 , Andy Gregory
While the earthquakes have rendered many people homeless, some of those who are able have been left terrified to return indoors, prompting some to sleep in cars despite “incredible cold” temperatures, a charity has warned.
Kathryn Achilles, of Save the Children Syria, said: “It is incredibly cold in Syria right now. We are extremely concerned that many people, including children, could still be trapped under rubble.
“Others are still homeless and making do with what they can, including sleeping in cars. We are particularly worried about children sleeping outside in freezing temperatures.
“The scale of the devastation means that everyone living in the affected area is impacted ... When people whose job it is to deliver humanitarian aid are also affected, it makes it even more challenging to get much needed help to the region.
“This is on top of damaged roads across Türkiye and Syria, getting help to affected areas is incredibly difficult. The international community needs to do all it can to support local humanitarian actors.”
A 41-year-old from Gaziantep, told the charity: “I woke up to the sound of the TV falling to the ground. I quickly rounded my five children and family and left the building.
“We are currently staying in prefabricated containers where there are over 20 children and their families who need support. We don’t have access to gas, electricity and basic utilities. All of us are distraught. My cousin’s son is too scared to be in closed areas and will now only sleep in the car.”
Erdogan travels to epicentre of quake amid calls for more help
Wednesday 8 February 2023 09:41 , Andy Gregory
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to travel to the town of Pazarcik, the epicentre of the quake, and the worst-hit province of Hatay on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
His office has just been reported as saying that he has arrived in the region.
Turkey now has some 60,000 aid personnel in the area but with the devastation so widespread many are still waiting for help, with calls for the government to send more help to the disaster zone.
Watch: Moment Aleppo family rescued from third storey of collapsed house
Wednesday 8 February 2023 09:22 , Andy Gregory
‘Window of survival closing,’ rescuers warn
Wednesday 8 February 2023 08:41 , Andy Gregory
Rescuers have warned that time is running out to rescue those still alive beneath the rubble, as the search and recovery operation continues in bitterly cold conditions.
“People are losing that window where they might still survive if they are stuck under the rubble,” Shreen Mahmoud from UK-based Muslim charity SKT Welfare told BBC Radio 5 Live.
The affected area of Syria is experiencing “widespread destruction and devastation”, Ms Mahmoud said, adding that people “on the ground right now are unfortunately pulling dead bodies from the rubble”.
Hospitals in northern Syria are “running out of fuel and electricity, they need diesel to run the generators, they need painkillers, antibiotics, all the medication,” she added.
The White Helmets rescue team has also warned that “time is running out”, adding: “Every second could mean saving a life.”
Death toll surpasses 9,400, making quake world’s deadliest seismic event since 2011
Wednesday 8 February 2023 08:30 , Andy Gregory
The death toll has climbed past 9,400, making it the world’s deadliest seismic event since the magnitude 9.0 quake off the northeast coast of Japan which triggered a tsunami and killed nearly 20,000 people in 2011.
Turkish authorities updated the country’s death toll to 6,957 on Wednesday.
In Syria, the government has reported 1,250 deaths in the areas it controls. The White Helmets, volunteer first responders in a rebel-held enclave, have reported 1,280 deaths.
More than 30,000 people have been injured.
The earthquake is now more deadly than the magnitude 7.8 quake in Nepal in 2015 which killed more than 8,800 people.
Satellite images show shocking destruction caused by Turkey earthquakes
Wednesday 8 February 2023 08:22 , Stuti Mishra
Satellite images of three Turkish towns reveal the extent of the devastation caused by the worst earthquakes to hit the country in decades, as buildings are turned into rubble and white emergency tents cluster along the roads:
Satellite images show shocking destruction caused by Turkey earthquakes
Crews find survivors, many dead after Turkey, Syria quake
Wednesday 8 February 2023 08:04 , Andy Gregory
Thinly-stretched rescue teams worked through the night into Wednesday, pulling more bodies from the rubble of thousands of buildings downed in Turkey and Syria by a catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 8,700, their grim task occasionally punctuated by the joy of finding someone still alive.
Nearly two days after the magnitude 7.8 quake struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, rescuers pulled a three-year-old boy, Arif Kaan, from beneath the rubble of a collapsed apartment building in Kahramanmaras, a city not far from the epicenter.
With the boy's lower body trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted rebar, emergency crews lay a blanket over his torso to protect him from below-freezing temperatures as they carefully cut the debris away from him, mindful of the possibility of triggering another collapse.
Read more:
Crews find survivors, many dead after Turkey, Syria quake
Live: Rescue efforts continue as death toll crosses 8,700
Wednesday 8 February 2023 07:46 , Andy Gregory
Our video team has this live footage of the rescue operation in Adiyaman:
Dramatic video captures moment entire family were pulled from rubble after Syria earthquake
Wednesday 8 February 2023 07:30 , Stuti Mishra
A Syrian family has been “miraculously” saved from underneath the rubble of their house after a devastating earthquake struck the country, rescuers said.
The Syria Civil Defence volunteer group, known as the White Helmets, said yesterday that it had retrieved “an entire family” buried under wreckage in the village of Bisnia, near Idlib in northwestern Syria.
“A true miracle,” said the group. “The sounds of joy embrace the sky – joy beyond belief.”
Read more here:
Child rescued after being trapped for 40 hours under rubble
Wednesday 8 February 2023 07:20 , Stuti Mishra
A child buried inside the debris of a flattened building in Syria’s insurgent-held areas was rescued by the White Helmets after 40 hours.
The dramatic video of the rescue, shared by the organisation on Twitter, shows rescuers safely pulling the girl child out from under the debris, as people surrounding the area chant prayers for the child’s safety.
The clip is from Salqin, Idlib.
The organisation said hundreds of people still remain trapped under the debris as rescue operations enter third day today.
Once again, another miracle….. a child rescued after more than 40 hours of being trapped under the rubble of her house in the city of #Salqin in the countryside of #Idlib, #Syria yesterday, February 7.#SyriaEarthquake #earthquake pic.twitter.com/R7kRsNZFEG
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 8, 2023
Taliban administration to send earthquake aid to Turkey, Syria
Wednesday 8 February 2023 07:10 , Stuti Mishra
Afghanistan’s Taliban administration will send around $165,000 in aid to Turkey and Syria to help the relief efforts after Monday’s devastating earthquake, according to a foreign ministry statement.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ... announces a relief package of 10 million Afghanis ($111,024) and 5 million Afghanis ($55,512) to Turkiye and Syria respectively on the basis of shared humanity and Islamic brotherhood,” a ministry of foreign affairs statement said late on Tuesday.
Afghanistan is in the grips of a severe economic and humanitarian crisis and is itself the location of one of the United Nation’s largest humanitarian aid programs. The Taliban took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, sparking enforcement of sanctions on its banking sector, and no capital has formally recognised its government.
In Afghanistan, hundreds have also died in recent weeks due to bitter cold and an economic crisis.
Many aid groups have partially suspended operations due to a Taliban administration ruling that most female NGO workers could not work, leaving agencies unable to operate many programmes in the conservative country.
Western diplomats have said they will not consider formally recognising the administration unless it changes course on women’s rights.
Despite the cut of development funding that once formed the backbone of the Afghan state’s budget, the World Bank said in a report that the Taliban administration has increased exports - some of it coal to neighbouring Pakistan - and revenue collection remained strong, including from customs duties and mining royalties.
Earthquake death toll in Turkey rises to 6,234, says disaster management authority
Wednesday 8 February 2023 06:52 , Stuti Mishra
The death toll in Turkey has risen to 6,234, the Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) said.
The number of those injured rose to 37,011, the agency said, adding that more than 79,000 personnel were engaged in search and rescue operations.
The total tally for both Turkey and Syria has now surpassed 8,700.
Earthquake death toll in Syria surpasses 2,500
Wednesday 8 February 2023 06:50 , Stuti Mishra
The death toll in Syria from a devastating earthquake has surpassed 2,500, according to Syrian state media and a rescue service operating in the insurgent-held northwest.
The White Helmets rescue team said on Twitter the casualty toll in insurgent-held areas has risen to more than 1,280 deaths and more than 2,600 injured.
“The number is expected to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble, more than 50 hours after the earthquake,” the White Helmets wrote.
⛔Death toll from #earthquake in NW #Syria has risen to 1,280+ deaths & 2,600+ injured. Number is expected to rise significantly as hundreds of families remain trapped under the rubble more than 50 hours after the earthquake. pic.twitter.com/LAeQgZK5TI
— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) February 8, 2023
Overnight, the Syrian health minister said the number of dead in government-held parts of the country rose to 1,250, the state-run al-Ikhbariya news outlet reported on its Telegram feed. The number of wounded was 2,054, he said.
Live: View from Gaziantep after quake death toll passes 8,300
Wednesday 8 February 2023 06:30 , Stuti Mishra
Death toll crosses 8,300 in Turkey and Syria
Wednesday 8 February 2023 06:13 , Stuti Mishra
The number of people confirmed dead in Syria now stands at 2,470, taking the total tally of both countries to over 8,300.
Turkey’s official toll remains unchanged for now at 5,894.
Turkish vice-president, Fuat Oktay said more than 8,000 people so far have been pulled from the debris in Turkey. About 380,000 are taking refuge in government shelters or hotels, with others huddling in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres.
