{"id":3765,"date":"2023-02-07T10:03:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T10:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3765"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:50:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:50:27","slug":"earthquake-death-toll-tops-5000-as-turkey-and-syria-seek-for-survivors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/climate\/earthquake-death-toll-tops-5000-as-turkey-and-syria-seek-for-survivors\/2023\/02\/07\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Earthquake death toll tops 5,000 as Turkey and Syria seek for survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADANA,<\/span> Turkey<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Rescue<\/span> workers<\/span> rushed<\/span> Tuesday<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> survivors<\/span> among<\/span> the<\/span> rubble<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> buildings<\/span> destroyed<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> magnitude-7.8<\/span> earthquake<\/span> and<\/span> multiple<\/span> aftershocks<\/span> that<\/span> hit<\/span> eastern<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> neighbouring<\/span> Syria.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Attempts<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> the<\/span> survivors<\/span> were<\/span> also<\/span> hampered<\/span> by<\/span> sub-zero<\/span> temperatures<\/span> and<\/span> nearly<\/span> 200<\/span> aftershocks,<\/span> making<\/span> searching<\/span> through<\/span> unstable<\/span> structures<\/span> dangerous.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> areas<\/span> where<\/span> the<\/span> team<\/span> was<\/span> working,<\/span> cheers<\/span> could<\/span> erupt<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> night<\/span> as<\/span> survivors<\/span> were<\/span> pulled<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> rubble.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> quake<\/span> was<\/span> centred<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey’s<\/span> southeastern<\/span> province<\/span> of<\/span> Kahramanmaras,<\/span> flooding<\/span> the<\/span> streets<\/span> with<\/span> residents<\/span> of<\/span> Damascus<\/span> and<\/span> Beirut<\/span> and<\/span> felt<\/span> as<\/span> far<\/span> away<\/span> as<\/span> Cairo.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> people<\/span> took<\/span> refuge<\/span> in<\/span> sports<\/span> centres<\/span> and<\/span> exhibition<\/span> halls<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey’s<\/span> Hatay<\/span> province,<\/span> while<\/span> others<\/span> spent<\/span> the<\/span> night<\/span> outside,<\/span> huddled<\/span> around<\/span> fires<\/span> in<\/span> blankets.<\/span> Turkey<\/span> has<\/span> a<\/span> large<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> troops<\/span> in<\/span> its<\/span> border<\/span> areas<\/span> with<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> has<\/span> tasked<\/span> them<\/span> with<\/span> assisting<\/span> relief<\/span> efforts,<\/span> including<\/span> setting<\/span> up<\/span> tents<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> homeless<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> field<\/span> hospital<\/span> in<\/span> Hatay<\/span> province.<\/span> Defense<\/span> Minister<\/span> Hulusi<\/span> Akar<\/span> said<\/span> an<\/span> Ankara-based<\/span> humanitarian<\/span> aid<\/span> brigade<\/span> and<\/span> he<\/span> had<\/span> also<\/span> deployed<\/span> eight<\/span> military<\/span> search<\/span> and<\/span> rescue<\/span> teams.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> naval<\/span> vessel<\/span> docked<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> port<\/span> of<\/span> Iskenderun<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> province<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday,<\/span> transporting<\/span> survivors<\/span> in<\/span> need<\/span> of<\/span> medical<\/span> care<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> nearby<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Mersin<\/span> after<\/span> a<\/span> hospital<\/span> collapsed.<\/span> Thick<\/span> black<\/span> smoke<\/span> rose<\/span> from<\/span> another<\/span> area<\/span> of<\/span> \u200b\u200bthe<\/span> port,<\/span> and<\/span> firefighters<\/span> had<\/span> yet<\/span> to<\/span> extinguish<\/span> a<\/span> fire<\/span> under<\/span> a<\/span> shipping<\/span> container<\/span> that<\/span> had<\/span> capsized<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> capital<\/span> Gaziantep,<\/span> about<\/span> 33<\/span> kilometres<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> epicentre,<\/span> people<\/span> fled<\/span> to<\/span> shopping<\/span> malls,<\/span> stadiums,<\/span> mosques<\/span> and<\/span> community<\/span> centres.<\/span> Turkish<\/span> Vice<\/span> President<\/span> Fuat<\/span> Oktay<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> total<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> deaths<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> had<\/span> risen<\/span> to<\/span> 3,419,<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> further<\/span> 20,534<\/span> injured.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> in<\/span> government-held<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> Syria<\/span> rose<\/span> to<\/span> 812,<\/span> with<\/span> about<\/span> 1,450<\/span> injured,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> health<\/span> ministry.<\/span> In<\/span> the<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> northwest<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> country,<\/span> the<\/span> opposition<\/span> Syrian<\/span> Civil<\/span> Defense<\/span> or<\/span> White<\/span> Helmets,<\/span> the<\/span> medical<\/span> group<\/span> leading<\/span> the<\/span> relief<\/span> effort,<\/span> said<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> 790<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> killed<\/span> and<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 2,200<\/span> injured.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>This<\/span> brings<\/span> the<\/span> total<\/span> to<\/span> 5,021.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Pakistani<\/span> Prime<\/span> Minister<\/span> Shahbaz<\/span> Sharif<\/span> will<\/span> visit<\/span> Ankara<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> to<\/span> express<\/span> his<\/span> condolences<\/span> and<\/span> solidarity,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> statement<\/span> from<\/span> Islamabad.<\/span> US<\/span> President<\/span> Joe<\/span> Biden<\/span> called<\/span> Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> to<\/span> express<\/span> his<\/span> condolences<\/span> and<\/span> support<\/span> to<\/span> NATO<\/span> allies.<\/span> The<\/span> White<\/span> House<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> sending<\/span> a<\/span> search<\/span> and<\/span> rescue<\/span> team<\/span> to<\/span> assist<\/span> Turkey’s<\/span> efforts.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>According<\/span> to<\/span> Orhan<\/span> Tatar,<\/span> an<\/span> official<\/span> of<\/span> Turkey’s<\/span> Disaster<\/span> Management<\/span> Agency,<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 7,800<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> rescued<\/span> in<\/span> 10<\/span> provinces.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> area<\/span> lies<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> major<\/span> fault<\/span> line<\/span> and<\/span> is<\/span> frequently<\/span> shaken<\/span> by<\/span> earthquakes.<\/span> In<\/span> 1999,<\/span> a<\/span> similarly<\/span> powerful<\/span> earthquake<\/span> hit<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> killing<\/span> about<\/span> 18,000<\/span> people.<\/span> The<\/span> US<\/span> Geological<\/span> Survey<\/span> measured<\/span> a<\/span> magnitude<\/span> 7.8<\/span> quake<\/span> at<\/span> a<\/span> depth<\/span> of<\/span> 18<\/span> kilometres<\/span> (11<\/span> miles)<\/span> on<\/span> Monday.<\/span> A<\/span> few<\/span> hours<\/span> later,<\/span> another<\/span> 7.5<\/span> magnitude<\/span> earthquake<\/span> occurred<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 100<\/span> kilometers<\/span> away,<\/span> probably<\/span> triggered<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> first.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>A<\/span> second<\/span> explosion<\/span> caused<\/span> a<\/span> high-rise<\/span> apartment<\/span> building<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> \u015eanl\u0131urfa<\/span> to<\/span> fall<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> street,<\/span> causing<\/span> bystanders<\/span> to<\/span> scream,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> video<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> scene.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> buildings<\/span> have<\/span> reportedly<\/span> collapsed<\/span> in<\/span> areas<\/span> ranging<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> cities<\/span> of<\/span> Aleppo<\/span> and<\/span> Hama<\/span> to<\/span> Diyarbakir,<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 330<\/span> kilometres<\/span> (200<\/span> miles)<\/span> northeast.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ADANA, Turkey (AP) – Rescue workers rushed Tuesday to find survivors among the rubble of thousands of buildings destroyed by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake and multiple aftershocks that hit eastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria. Attempts to reach the survivors were also hampered by sub-zero temperatures and nearly 200 aftershocks, making searching through unstable structures dangerous. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[714,562,2406,2425],"tags":[471,487,1008,1009,1016],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/earth.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3765"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3769,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3765\/revisions\/3769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}