Latest updates on Turkey, Syria earthquakes

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen Net + Agencies
17 Feb 2023 20:09
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The Syrian authorities announce that the earthquake death toll is at 5,840, so far while the death toll in Turkey exceeded 38,044.

People embracing in the street in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 10, 2023 (Reuters)

According to the latest official numbers, the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Syria on Monday, February 6, has exceeded 5,840 deaths while tens of thousands of others were wounded.

To date, 150 planes carrying humanitarian and relief aid for those affected by the quake have arrived at the airports of Damascus, Aleppo, and Latakia, with 59 planes going to Damascus airport, 49 planes to Aleppo airport, and 42 planes to Latakia airport.

Earlier, Basem Mansour, director of the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority, announced that the planes that arrived in Syria were distributed as follows; 58 planes from the United Arab Emirates, Iraq 11 planes, Libya Benghazi 11 planes, Iran 10 planes, Algeria 7 planes, the Sultanate of Oman 5 planes, Belarus 5 planes, Tunisia 4 planes, and Kazakhstan 4 planes. In addition to 3 planes each from Russia, China, Egypt, Jordan, Armenia, Chechnya, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and UNICEF, two planes each from India and the World Health Organization (WHO), and one each from Bangladesh, Venezuela, Sudan, Libya Tripoli, and Japan.

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Latakia noted that Latakia Airport received today, Friday, planes carrying aid coming from Russia, Iran, and the UAE.

The director of Latakia airport Ziyad Al-Taweel announced that "readiness has been raised to enable the airport to receive all incoming planes carrying aid."

As for the UAE, 5 planes have been sent to Syria today, 3 of which went to Damascus and two to Latakia.

United Nations: 143 aid trucks entered Syria through two crossings

Eleven days after the earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 41,000 people in Turkey and Syria, the situation in Syria remains difficult due to the sanctions on Syria, which were only partially and conditionally lifted following international pressure on western countries, especially the EU and the US.

Syrians reported that the lack of fuel impedes the work of removing the rubble, transporting aid, and preparing food for thousands of displaced people.

Up until yesterday evening, the United Nations confirmed that bout 143 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have crossed into northwestern Syria since February 9 through the Bab Al-Hawa and Bab Al-Salama crossings on the border with Turkey.

Turkey

According to the latest official data, the death toll in Turkey has reached 38,044, and the affected areas witnessed 4,734 aftershocks since the earthquake on February 6.

On Friday, the Turkish state-owned TRT channel reported that more than 150 people suspected of involvement in looting and theft had been detained in the quake-hit area in Turkey.

The channel quoted the Turkish Ministry of Justice as saying, "152 people were detained over 319 incidents."

Crackdown on Turkish contractors ongoing

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Turkey reported on Thursday that more than 250 contractors had been arrested for interrogation over the reasons behind the rapid and destructive collapse of buildings by the earthquake.

One of the most prominent contractors accused of negligence, Mehmet Yasar Coskun, the owner of the "Renaissance Residence" complex in the southern Hatay province, was arrested by the authorities while trying to flee the country to Montenegro from Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul.

The campaigns carried out by the Turkish authorities against the contractors are still ongoing, while news indicates that they will take an upward trend in the coming days.

29,000 Turkish rescuers are continuing the search-and-rescue operation, with the assistance of more than 11,000 rescuers from other countries, while more than 172,000 were deployed so far to provide temporary shelters to the earthquake victims.

Partial return to life

According to Al Mayadeen correspondent in Turkey, trucks carrying prefab houses are heading to Gaziantep, while the city of Pazardzhik, which was the epicenter of the earthquake, witnessed a partial return to life.

Aid planes from different countries continue to arrive in Turkey, as two trucks loaded with medical supplies arrived at a field hospital set up by the UAE in the city of Islahiye in Gaziantep Province.

Yesterday, 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid from Mexico arrived in Adana as part of international solidarity campaigns with those affected by the earthquake.

'Turkey One Heart' campaign

Eight local Turkish TV channels, including ATV owned by Turkuvaz Media Group, launched a massive fundraising campaign for the quake-affected citizens that went by the name "Turkey One Heart."

The channels opened a live stream on over 200 national and international broadcasters and more than 500 radio stations from Turkey and other countries to promote the humanitarian campaign.

Turkish media described the campaign as the largest in the history of the country, which witnessed wide participation from Turkish institutions, individuals, and state officials.

The initiative saw great success as it was able to garner over TL 115.1 billion ($6.1 billion), while The Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT) made the highest donation worth TL 30 billion.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined the live broadcast in a call where he expressed his full faith that the fundraiser will collect an unprecedented amount of donations, which will reveal their big hearts.

Erdogan also stressed that the funds will go solely to the quake survivors.

"Our aim is to start delivering houses where our people can live safely and peacefully in place of every demolished building within a year. I hope we will overcome this test together," Turkey's leader said.