The death toll across Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 3,700 after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southern Turkey early Monday.
The total number of injured in Turkey and Syria climbed to 15,762 on Monday.
The total death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,316, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).
The total death toll in Syria rose to 1440 SANA reports 656 across government-controlled areas and the “White Helmets” group, officially known as the Syria Civil Defense, reported 480 deaths in opposition-controlled areas.
Turkey has at least 13,293 and Syria has 2,469 injured people following the devastating earthquake.
Syrians “urgently” need assistance, UN
Syrians urgently need assistance after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit part of the country and Turkey early Monday, United Nations’ Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen said.
“I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call on the international community to help the thousands suffering from loss. Syrians urgently need global assistance,” Pederson said.
People are scared
“Many people are very scared.” UN coordinator says search and rescue operation is very tough in Syria
From CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey
The situation in Syria is “really tough” after a devastating earthquake hit the region on Monday, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, El-Mostafa Benlamlih, told CNN.
Benlamlih said the work will continue, “and we have teams in Aleppo and Hama, and other places trying to assess the situation.”
Many buildings collapsed around northwest Syria during the earthquake, and more could still fall, Benlamlih said.
“Buildings in those places are already very vulnerable, and it might not be a surprise to have other buildings coming down. Particularly as we’re facing also very tough conditions of work with the rain, and with the snow that is I think expected tonight in all of northwest Syria,” Benlamlih said.
“Many people are very scared. They don’t want to go back to their houses if we can call them houses, in these cases,” Benlamlih said, “They are afraid of the tremors. So they are spending their nights in freezing temperatures.”
Benlamlih said that the UN has a stock of supplies they have been distributed, but more supplies are needed.
Thousands of buildings collapsed
At least 5,606 buildings collapsed during and after the earthquake on Monday, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.
There are a total of 19,574 rescue personnel working in the earthquake region for recovery efforts, an AFAD statement said.
Turkish Airlines announced Monday that flight operations to Adana, Elazig, and Diyarbakir continue for citizens who want to reach the earthquake zone.
According to Afad’s statement, the airports in Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, and Adıyaman are open to all flights. Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa Airports are only open to aid flights while Kahramanmaraş and Hatay airports are closed to flights due to the earthquake damage, an AFAD statement said.
The death toll in Turkey climbed to 2,316 on Monday, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).
Crisis response mechanism
The European Union has activated its crisis response mechanism in order to coordinate the bloc’s support measures to Turkey and Syria quicker after devastating earthquakes on Monday.
“The Swedish presidency has decided on 6 February 2023 to activate the integrated political crisis response (IPCR) to coordinate EU support measures in response to the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria, in close collaboration with the European Commission,” the EU Council said in a statement.
The IPCR arrangements strengthen the EU’s ability to take rapid decisions when facing major cross-sectoral crises requiring a response at EU level, it said.
Through this mechanism, the presidency of the Council coordinates the political response to the crisis by bringing together EU institutions, member states and other key actors, the EU Council added.
CNN
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