Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll goes beyond 20 thousand
According to the latest data, the number of victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Turkey on the night of February 6 has reached 16,170.
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. The number of victims of the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has reached 20,400, and there are thousands of injured, ARMENPRESS reports, BBC informed.
According to the latest data, the number of victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Turkey on the night of February 6 has reached 16,170.
The number of victims in Syria has reached 3162.If you’re just joining us or need a recap, here’s an update of some of today’s key developments from the aftermath of Monday’s earthquakes.
Rescuers in Turkey and Syria are continuing the painstaking work of sifting through the rubble to find survivors, but many days later hope is fading
The first convoy of aid for opposition-held north-western Syria has crossed into the territory from Turkey, having been halted for days due to road damage and logistical issues. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres confirmed that six trucks carrying shelter and other relief supplies had arrived, but warned much more assistance was needed
The number of people who have died from the earthquakes in both Turkey and Syria is now approaching 20,000. The death toll in Turkey is currently at 16,546, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while in Syria at least 3,162 deaths have been reported.
The World Health Organization has warned that the threat to life as a result of the earthquakes continues, and that without shelter, water, fuel or electricity many survivors could yet lose their lives. It says that there’s a danger a “secondary disaster” could occur
An appeal has been launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). The committee is a collective of 15 UK charities – including Oxfam, Save the Children UK and the British Red Cross – and the funds raised will go towards medical aid, shelter, food and clean water, as well as blankets, warm clothes and heaters.
In Pictures: The aid relief effort following the quakes
Getting aid to the disaster-hit areas of southern Turkey and north-western Syria is crucial as survivors are stuck without the bare essentials like water and food.
People look through boxes of aid materials in Hatay, southern TurkeyImage caption: People look through boxes of aid materials in Hatay, southern Turkey
Aid materials are prepared to be loaded on a plane from Athens, GreeceImage caption: Aid materials are prepared to be loaded on a plane from Athens, Greece
Survivor of 1999 Turkey earthquake sending supplies to help others
Madeline Halpert
BBC News in New York
Ozge Ovun-Sert and her family visited her home country of Turkey last yearImage caption: Ozge Ovun-Sert and her family visited her home country of Turkey last year
When Ozge Ovun-Sert saw footage of people being pulled from the rubble after the devastating earthquake on Monday, it took her back to when her family was forced to evacuate after a 1999 earthquake in her home country of Turkey.
Ovun-Sert was 22 when the earthquake hit her town of Izmit, killing more than 17,000 people.
She has felt helpless at times this week watching from her new home in the US as so many suffer, but she has tried to turn the helplessness into action.
“These people need us,” she said.
Together with other members of the American Turkish Association of Washington, DC, Ovun-Sert is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid and packing boxes with emergency supplies to be sent to help. The group’s umbrella organisation, Turkish Philanthropy Funds, has raised more than $3 million (£2.46m).
“This is what we’re focusing on right now, instead of focusing on how we cannot be with our loved ones,” she said.
BBC News