WRAP OF TÜRKIYE/SYRIA QUAKE | Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 20,000

February 9 2023 - 21:48

Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 20,000

Cold, hunger and despair gripped hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago as the death toll passed 20,000 on Thursday.

The rescue of a 2-year-old boy after 79 hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and several other people raised spirits among weary search crews. But hopes were fading that many more would be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities.

The death toll across both countries has now surpassed the more than 17,000 killed in 1999 when a similarly powerful quake hit northwest Turkey.

February 9 2023 - 17:48

Anger over Turkey's temporary Twitter block during quake rescue

Turkey's decision to block access to Twitter for about 12 hours from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday as people scrambled to find loved ones after Monday's devastating earthquake has compounded public frustration at the pace of relief efforts.

Opposition leaders and social media users criticised the throttling of the platform, which has helped people share information on arriving aid and the location of those still trapped in rubble after the initial tremor on Monday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government has blocked social media in the past and focused in recent months on fighting what it calls "disinformation", which it said prompted the block on Wednesday. It restored full access to Twitter early on Thursday as the quake's death toll in that country and neighbouring Syria passed 17,000.

February 9 2023 - 14:43

Search and rescue members rest in Istanbul as they await delayed flights

Tired and restless search and rescue and military personnel are scattered around Istanbul International Airport in Türkiye.

Dozens of teams from South Africa, China, Japan, Germany and Tajikistan have been forced to wait in transit as the country grapples with flights being delayed to areas hardest hit by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Middle Eastern country on Monday.

February 9 2023 - 13:15

First UN aid quake convoy reaches Syria, sources say

The first United Nations convoy carrying aid to Syrians stricken by a deadly earthquake crossed from Turkey on Thursday, border crossing sources said, after the UN's envoy to Syria said assistance was desperately needed there.

Monday's huge earthquake devastated swathes of southern Turkey and northern Syria. It stuck at night and was followed by powerful aftershocks, and the death toll from it neared 16,000 on Thursday as frustration simmered over the slow delivery of aid.

The UN convoy entered Syria at the Bab Al Hawa crossing, the sources said.

UN special Syria envoy Geir Pedersen earlier said people impacted by the earthquake needed "more of absolutely everything" in terms of aid. "We need lifesaving aid," Pedersen told reporters in Geneva. "It's desperately needed by civilians wherever they are, irrespective of borders and boundaries. We need it urgently through the fastest, most direct and most effective routes. They need more of absolutely everything."

Pedersen said the UN had been assured the first assistance would cross from Turkey into Syria on Thursday, calling for assurances that there would be no political hindrances to getting aid to where it was most needed.

"We had a problem because the roads leading to the border crossing (between Turkey and Syria) had been destroyed," Pedersen said. "But we were assured that we will be able to get through the first assistance today."

Prior to the earthquake, the UN had estimated that more than 4-million people in northwest Syria, many displaced by the 12-year conflict there, depended on cross-border aid.

-Reuters

February 9 2023 - 12:41

Erdogan Vows Building Blitz to Renew Quake-Hit Areas Within Year

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to rebuild areas hit by two deadly earthquakes within a year as he toured one of the worst-stricken towns on Wednesday.

Speaking on a visit to a tented community of displaced people in Kahramanmaras, Erdogan said his government had mobilised all available means to deal with the fallout from the quakes that hit the country on Monday, which have killed almost 10,000 people across Turkey and Syria to date. Obstacles including harsh weather conditions and damage to infrastructure have been overcome, he said, and basic supplies such as gas cannisters used for heating are on their way.

“We aim to rebuild homes in Kahramanmaras and nine other provinces within one year,” Erdogan said, before heading to another quake zone in Hatay province. “If anyone prefers not to stay in tents, we can transfer them to hotels in Alanya, Mersin and Antalya,” on the Mediterranean coast, he said.

A handout of 10,000 lira (about R9,385) will be given to each family affected by the quakes, the president said.

The scale of the disaster remains unknown but Bloomberg Economics estimates that quake-related public spending, including rebuilding efforts, can make up 5.5% of the gross domestic product. Erdogan is working on the assumption that general elections will be held as planned in Turkey in May, according to people familiar with the matter, despite the logistical challenges. He declared a three-month state-of-emergency on Tuesday for the provinces hit by the quake, which will allow him to take swift security and financial measures in response to the disaster.

“We had some difficulties the first day but control of the situation was taken on the second day and today,” Erdogan said.

-Bloomberg

February 9 2023 - 10:41

Want to donate to relief efforts in Turkey? Here’s what’s needed and how you can help

The Turkish embassy in South Africa has issued a plea for donation of blankets, clothes and tents for victims of a devastating earthquake in that country and Syria.

A 7.8 magnitude quake struck the two countries on Monday, wrecking thousands of buildings and leaving more than 15,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands injured or homeless.

As global aid organisations, including SA's Gift of the Givers, made their way to the countries, the Turkish embassy asked South Africans to donate what they could to victims.

February 9 2023 - 09:24

Over 15,000 dead in ‘century’s worst’ disaster

The death toll from twin quakes has surpassed 15,000 across Türkiye and neighboring Syria, a disaster US President Joe Biden said was one of the worst to hit the region in more than a century.

The US positioned an aircraft carrier closer to Turkey in case it needs additional quake assistance.

Türkiye has restored access to Twitter after the company said it would do more to tackle “disinformation” following Monday’s quakes, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

Türkiye is working to open two new border crossings to allow more aid into Syria, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

-Bloomberg

February 9 2023 - 08:08

Taiwan president to donate a month's salary for Türkiye relief efforts

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai will each donate a month's salary for Türkiye earthquake relief efforts, the presidential office said on Thursday, adding to existing aid already sent by the island.

Tsai and Lai, who is widely expected to stand for the presidency in elections due next year, "hope to do their part to help Türkiye rebuild its homeland as soon as possible", the presidential office said in a statement.

Türkiye, like most countries, has no diplomatic relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, but the two maintain de facto embassies in each other's capitals and there are direct flights between Istanbul and Taipei.

Tsai visited the de facto Türkiye embassy in Taipei on Thursday to sign a book of condolence, writing: "My heart goes with our Türkiye friends. Taiwan stands with Türkiye!", according to her office.

-Reuters

February 9 2023 - 06:43

Quake Latest: Deaths top 14,000, survivors found after 73 hours

The death toll from Monday’s devastating earthquakes has surpassed 14,000 across Türkiye and neighboring Syria, while rescuers have evacuated a five-year-old girl and her parents 73 hours after the disaster leveled their apartment building, according to the state-run Anadolu agency.

Türkiye has restored access to Twitter as the social-media platform agreed to do more to tackle disinformation in the aftermath of the quakes, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

The country is also working to open two new border crossings to allow more aid into Syria, according to Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Türkiye’s stock exchange canceled trades made on Wednesday and said the market would be closed for five business days. 

-Bloomberg

February 9 2023 - 06:30

Turkey's earthquake death toll rises to 12,391, Cumhuriyet quotes authority as saying

The death toll in Turkey from earthquakes in its southeast rose to 12,391 by Thursday morning, the Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) said according to Cumhuriyet news website.

The number of those injured rose to 62,914, the AFAD said in a statement, while search and rescue operations continued, Cumhuriyet reported.

-Reuters