Turkey and Syria earthquake : the death toll from the earthquake exceeds 20,000

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck large areas of Turkey and Syria has risen, exceeding 20,000 dead so far, according to an official toll published Thursday evening.

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Turkey and Syria earthquake : the death toll from the earthquake exceeds 20,000

According to the Turkish Disaster Management Authority, 17,134 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble so far, while 3,317 bodies have been counted in Syria, according to the latest official toll and medical sources, bringing the death toll to 20,451.

And the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced Thursday on his Twitter account that he is “on his way” to Syria, where the organization supports basic health services in the areas hit by the recent earthquake, based on our work in the country for a long time.

The organization warned earlier that the number of those affected by the earthquake may reach 23 million people, including in Syria, including about five million people in a fragile situation.

The United Nations also announced that Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Aid Coordinator Martin Griffiths will travel to Turkey and Syria at the end of the week.

Griffiths will visit Gaziantep in southern Turkey and Aleppo in northwest Syria. During his visit, he will also meet “the authorities in the Syrian capital, Damascus.”

It was reported that the first aid convoys destined for opposition-held areas in northwestern Syria have already crossed into those areas from Turkey.

Officials said that Idlib governorate received, through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, six trucks loaded with aid.

On Thursday, the World Bank announced $1.78 billion in aid to Turkey to support rescue and recovery efforts after the earthquake.

For its part, USAID announced that the United States will provide $85 million in aid to Turkey and Russia.

“We are proud to join the global effort to assist Turkey, as Turkey has often contributed through its experts to the humanitarian rescue operations of many other countries,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

Officials said the United States has sent rescue teams to Turkey, while providing assistance in Syria through local partners because Washington refuses to deal with President Bashar al-Assad and demands accountability for those responsible for abuses during the civil war.

Bab al-Hawa is the only crossing through which aid can be delivered to areas under the control of the Syrian opposition without crossing into areas under the control of the Syrian government forces.

Over the past four days, shipments of relief aid destined for those Syrian regions were hampered due to damage to the roads leading to those areas, as well as logistical obstacles.

Even before the earthquake, some 4.1 million residents – mostly women and children – relied on humanitarian aid to survive.

Syria emergency response ‘must not be politicized’

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said that the response to the emergency situation in Syria “should not be politicized after one of the most catastrophic earthquakes in the region in nearly a hundred years.”

Since Monday, planes loaded with aid and coming from the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Iran and other countries have landed at airports under the control of the Syrian government in Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia.

The European Union confirmed that it will send aid to Syria worth 3.5 million euros, after a government request for assistance.

But the union said aid should be delivered to both government and opposition-held areas.

More than 1,500 people have been killed in Idlib province alone. Buthaina Shaaban, an advisor to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said the sanctions are preventing Damascus from receiving the aid it needs.

Buthaina added, “We do not have enough bulldozers. We do not have enough cranes. We do not have enough oil because of European and American sanctions.”

In Turkey the situation is “under control”

Although people were found alive under the rubble, hopes began to fade that there might be large numbers still alive.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan defended his government’s response, responding to criticism about poor rescue operations and not covering all affected areas.

Critics of the Turkish government said that the response of the emergency services was too slow, and that the government was not well prepared.

Erdogan acknowledged that the government had faced some problems, but said the situation was now “under control”.

But the leader of the main opposition party in Turkey, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, rejected these statements, and said: “If there is a person responsible for this, it is Erdogan.”

The president rejected the accusation, telling reporters in Hatay: “At a time like this, I cannot stand those who campaign negatively for the sake of political interest.”

11/12/2023Last Updated: 11/12/2023

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Turkey and Syria earthquake : the death toll from the earthquake exceeds 20,000