Ajit Karn
AFP reported that World Health Organisation (WHO) officials have estimated that close to 20,000 people may have perished as a result of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
The earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria have killed more than 5,400 people. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey, where 3,700 people have lost their lives. According to AFP, there are fears that the death toll could rise, with World Health Organisation (WHO) officials estimating that close to 20,000 people may have perished.
Reuters reported that according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, at least 20,426 people were injured and 5,775 buildings were destroyed as a result of the earthquake.
Thousands of people are reportedly still trapped beneath the debris, and rescuers are battling frigid temperatures and other obstacles to save them.
Here are the top five events occurring in the earthquake-prone regions of Turkey and Syria.
- The rescue operations were severely hindered by a winter storm that rendered several roads nearly impassable. This has resulted in miles-long traffic jams in certain regions of Turkey. People living on the streets are burning trash to stay warm in this cold weather.
- The Syrian Red Crescent has urged the West to lift sanctions and contribute to relief efforts. The government of Bashar al-Assad remains a pariah in the West. Monday, the United States and the European Commission announced that they were responding to the situation in Syria with aid programmes.
- In the Turkish city of Antakya, there have been reports of scuffles between helpless citizens and rescue workers. According to a Reuters report, a 54-year-old woman was rescued after 32 hours from an eight-story building. The woman then yelled to the rescue workers that her father was behind the room she was in. The rescue workers explained that they needed an excavator to remove the wall before they could enter the room from the front.
- Reuters reported that Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offered condolences and support to Erdogan following the earthquake. Egypt and Turkey’s diplomatic relations have been strained since Sisi, then Egypt’s army chief, led the 2013 ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who was strongly supported by Erdogan. Relations between the two countries have recently improved after years of tension.
- The situation in Syria, which is already deplorable due to the civil war, is no better. Several families’ funerals were taking place in Hama throughout the day. The mosques welcomed families whose homes were damaged.
Also read this:The UAE has pledged $13 million in relief to earthquake-ravaged Syria.
