Senior Cleric Criticizes Int'l Community's Response to Turkey-Syria Earthquake
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Tehran's Interim Friday Prayer Imam, Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, criticized the global community's response to the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, calling it a "great failure."
Ali Akbari expressed his condolences to the families of the tens of thousands of victims.
He praised Iran's efforts in sending rescue teams and supplies to both countries, but also called for more action, urging the Iranian people to join in the relief and rescue efforts in Syria and Turkey as well as Iran’s Khoy city with the help of government agencies.
In January 29, an earthquake measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale hit Khoy city in Iran’s northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, killing three people, injuring over 800 and damaging houses.
Ali Akbari specifically criticized the US and EU, saying they had "fallen into moral decay" and showed their "ugly and dirty side." He also accused international organizations of incompetence and called the situation in Syria "very ugly" for the global community.
In spite of his criticisms, Akbari expressed hope that the suffering of the affected nations would be reduced with the efforts of regional nations and the Iranian people.
The death toll from the Turkey-Syria earthquakes is nearing 44,000. Turkish authorities say at least 38,044 people have been killed in the country. The Syrian government and the United Nations say more than 5,800 people have died there.
In northwest Syria, there are fears medical facilities are close to collapse.
More than 10 days after the devastating earthquakes, rescue operations have dwindled, and the focus has turned to recovery and cleanup.
A total of 50,576 buildings have either collapsed or are heavily damaged in what Turkish President Erdogan has dubbed “the disaster of the century”.
