As rescue efforts continue, death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has increased to over 19,300. Turkey’s parliament voted in favour of a three-month emergency in earthquake-hit areas on Thursday.
First UN aid convoy reaches rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the death toll has reached 16,170 in the country. The Guardian reported quoting State officials in Syria that the death toll in government-controlled areas stands at 1,262, while 1,930 have been reported dead in rebel-held areas in the north-west of the country by the White Helmets civil defence group.
As many as 5,158 people have been reported injured across both government-controlled and rebel-held Syria. Over 64,000 people have suffered injuries in Turkey. According to authorities, the death toll is expected to increase in the upcoming days.
Rescuers continued their race to pull more people alive from the rubble, with the window closing to find trapped survivors. While many of the tens of thousands who have lost their homes have found shelter in tents, stadiums and other temporary accommodations, others have spent the nights outdoors since Monday’s 7.8 magnitude quake.
Turkiye’s disaster management agency said more than 110,000 rescue personnel were now taking part in the effort and more than 5,500 vehicles, including tractors, cranes, bulldozers and excavators had been shipped.
In the Syrian government-held city of Aleppo, rescue workers pulled seven people out alive and 44 bodies on Thursday from a collapsed building in the city centre, state TV reported. Aid efforts in Syria have been hampered by the ongoing war and the isolation of the rebel-held region along the border, which is surrounded by Russia-backed government forces.
On Thursday, the first UN aid trucks crossed into northwest Syria from Turkey. UN officials said they are also trying to scale up deliveries to the area from the capital, Damascus. The shipment was scheduled before the earthquake happened but was delayed by road damage.
UN officials said more trucks were set to follow with assistance specifically for the current crisis.
