Rescue Efforts Continue As Death Toll Rises in Turkey-Syria Earthquakes
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Rescuers pulled out a seven-month-old baby and a teenage girl from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey nearly a week after the earthquake that killed over 29,000 people in both Turkey and Syria.
The death toll in Turkey rose to 24,617 on Sunday, while over 4,500 were killed in Syria, according to Syrian media.
The United Nations (UN) estimated that at least 870,000 people urgently need hot meals across Turkey and Syria, and up to 5.3 million people may have been made homeless in Syria alone.
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths stated that he expected the death toll to at least double after his assessment in southern Turkey.
Thousands of rescue workers continue the search despite freezing weather, with the UN warning of the urgent need for aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a flash appeal for $42.8 million to address the immediate health needs.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus toured damaged areas of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Saturday, carrying emergency medical equipment. The transport ministry reported that 57 aid planes have landed in Syria this week. However, the delivery of aid has been slow in northwestern Syria due to years of conflict that have destroyed the healthcare system.
Damascus said it had approved the delivery of humanitarian assistance to quake-hit areas controlled by rebels in Idlib province and a convoy was expected to leave on Sunday.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for the Security Council to authorize the opening of new cross-border aid points between Turkey and Syria. Meanwhile, a border crossing between Armenia and Turkey opened for the first time in 35 years to allow aid into the quake-hit region. Damascus is struggling to deal with this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe as it remains under brutal Western sanctions that have brought the country to its knees.
Despite the devastating earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey, resulting in over 29,000 casualties and millions of people in need of aid, the Western sanctions imposed on Syria are hindering the efforts to help the affected citizens.
A supporter who attempted to set up a GoFundMe campaign to gather donations for the relief efforts in Syria reported that their campaign was taken down due to the sanctions.
“Type the word ‘Ukraine’ into the search field on PayPal or GoFundMe and you’ll see countless appeals for sending money to Ukraine. But for Syrians, Western platforms like these are off-limits, and have been for years," said the supporter.
The sanctions have made life near impossible for the Syrian people, with most unable to afford basic necessities such as food and heat. The situation is even more dire in times of crisis when they cannot receive donations or emergency support from abroad.
Nearly 26 million people have been affected by the earthquake and dozens of hospitals are damaged across both countries
