{"id":3790,"date":"2023-02-08T14:52:08","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T14:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3790"},"modified":"2023-03-23T18:38:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T18:38:01","slug":"hopes-fading-as-death-toll-tops-11000-in-turkey-and-syria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/climate\/hopes-fading-as-death-toll-tops-11000-in-turkey-and-syria\/2023\/02\/08\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Hopes fading as death toll tops 11,000 in Turkey and Syria"},"content":{"rendered":"

GAZIANTEP,<\/span> Turkey<\/span> (AP)<\/span> –<\/span> Hoping<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> survivors,<\/span> a<\/span> large<\/span> rescue<\/span> team<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> searched<\/span> for<\/span> signs<\/span> of<\/span> life<\/span> among<\/span> the<\/span> rubble<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> buildings<\/span> that\u00a0collapsed<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> devastating<\/span> earthquake. <\/span>He<\/span> has<\/span> killed<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 11,000<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> world’s<\/span> worst<\/span> earthquake<\/span> in<\/span> over<\/span> a<\/span> decade.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> toured<\/span> the<\/span> “Tent<\/span> City”<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> hard-hit<\/span> Kahramanmaras,<\/span> where<\/span> displaced<\/span> people<\/span> live.<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> said<\/span> Monday<\/span> that<\/span> his<\/span> response<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> 7.8-magnitude<\/span> quake<\/span> was<\/span> initially<\/span> inadequate<\/span> as<\/span> he<\/span> urged<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> to<\/span> send<\/span> more<\/span> aid<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> affected<\/span> areas,<\/span> but<\/span> no<\/span> one<\/span> was<\/span> “on<\/span> the<\/span> streets.”<\/span> I<\/span> vowed<\/span> not<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> left<\/span> behind.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Search<\/span> teams<\/span> from<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 20<\/span> countries<\/span> joined<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> local<\/span> responders<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> ground<\/span> in<\/span> Syria<\/span> and<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> with<\/span> pledges<\/span> of<\/span> help<\/span> pouring<\/span> in<\/span> from<\/span> around<\/span> the<\/span> world.<\/span> was<\/span> so<\/span> large<\/span> and<\/span> spread<\/span> so<\/span> widely,<\/span> including<\/span> in<\/span> places<\/span> isolated<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> Syrian<\/span> civil<\/span> war,<\/span> that<\/span> many<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> still<\/span> waiting<\/span> for<\/span> help.<\/span> Experts<\/span> say<\/span> the<\/span> window<\/span> of<\/span> survival<\/span> for<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> were<\/span> trapped<\/span> under<\/span> the<\/span> rubble<\/span> of<\/span> collapsed<\/span> buildings<\/span> or<\/span> who<\/span> lacked<\/span> access<\/span> to<\/span> water,<\/span> food<\/span> and<\/span> shelter<\/span> due<\/span> to<\/span> elections<\/span> is<\/span> rapidly<\/span> closing<\/span> almost<\/span> three<\/span> days<\/span> after<\/span> the<\/span> quake.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Rescuers<\/span> sometimes<\/span> used<\/span> excavators<\/span> in<\/span> their<\/span> searches,<\/span> and<\/span> other<\/span> times<\/span> they<\/span> carefully<\/span> dug<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> rubble<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> survivors<\/span> and<\/span> dead.<\/span> With<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> buildings<\/span> collapsed,<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> not<\/span> clear<\/span> how<\/span> many<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> trapped<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rubble.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkey’s<\/span> civil<\/span> protection<\/span> agency<\/span> said<\/span> Wednesday<\/span> that<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> died<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> earthquake<\/span> but<\/span> could<\/span> not<\/span> be<\/span> identified<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> buried<\/span> within<\/span> five<\/span> days,<\/span> even<\/span> if<\/span> they<\/span> remain<\/span> anonymous.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> the<\/span> Turkish<\/span> city<\/span> of<\/span> Malatya,<\/span> bodies<\/span> were<\/span> laid<\/span> out<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> ground,<\/span> covered<\/span> with<\/span> blankets,<\/span> waiting<\/span> for<\/span> rescuers<\/span> to<\/span> pick<\/span> them<\/span> up<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> hearse,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> former<\/span> journalist<\/span> Ozel<\/span> Pikal.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> road<\/span> closures<\/span> and<\/span> damage<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> area<\/span> made<\/span> it<\/span> difficult<\/span> to<\/span> access<\/span> areas<\/span> in<\/span> need<\/span> of<\/span> assistance,<\/span> and<\/span> rescuers<\/span> were<\/span> in<\/span> short<\/span> supply<\/span> where<\/span> he<\/span> was.<\/span> Meanwhile,<\/span> the<\/span> cold<\/span> thwarted<\/span> the<\/span> efforts<\/span> of<\/span> those<\/span> who<\/span> were<\/span> there,<\/span> including<\/span> volunteers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Turkey’s<\/span> president<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> country’s<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> exceeded<\/span> 8,500.<\/span> Meanwhile,<\/span> the<\/span> Syrian<\/span> Ministry<\/span> of<\/span> Health<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> in<\/span> government-held<\/span> areas<\/span> had<\/span> risen<\/span> to<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 1,200,<\/span> according<\/span> to<\/span> volunteer<\/span> first<\/span> responders<\/span> known<\/span> as<\/span> the<\/span> White<\/span> Helmets,<\/span> and<\/span> at<\/span> least<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> rebel-controlled<\/span> northwest.<\/span> said<\/span> 1,400<\/span> people<\/span> had<\/span> died.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>That<\/span> brings<\/span> the<\/span> total<\/span> to<\/span> 11,000<\/span> since<\/span> Monday’s<\/span> quake<\/span> and<\/span> several<\/span> strong<\/span> aftershocks.<\/span> Tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> more<\/span> are<\/span> injured.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>He<\/span> caused<\/span> the<\/span> tsunami,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> 2011<\/span> earthquake<\/span> near<\/span> Japan<\/span> killed<\/span> nearly<\/span> 20,000<\/span> people.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> cold<\/span> added<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> misery<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> homeless<\/span> residents.<\/span> Many<\/span> survivors<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> slept<\/span> in<\/span> cars,<\/span> government<\/span> housing,<\/span> or<\/span> outdoors.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>During<\/span> his<\/span> visit<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> affected<\/span> areas,<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> admitted<\/span> that<\/span> there<\/span> were<\/span> initial<\/span> problems<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> response,<\/span> but<\/span> he<\/span> said<\/span> he<\/span> had<\/span> improved.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> would<\/span> distribute<\/span> 10,000<\/span> Turkish<\/span> lira<\/span> ($532)<\/span> to<\/span> affected<\/span> families.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> Syria,<\/span> relief<\/span> efforts<\/span> are<\/span> hampered<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> ongoing<\/span> war<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> isolation<\/span> of<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> areas<\/span> along<\/span> the<\/span> border<\/span> surrounded<\/span> by<\/span> Russian-backed<\/span> government<\/span> forces.<\/span> Syria<\/span> itself<\/span> is<\/span> an<\/span> international<\/span> pariah<\/span> under<\/span> Western<\/span> sanctions<\/span> related<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> war.<\/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><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GAZIANTEP, Turkey (AP) – Hoping to find survivors, a large rescue team in Turkey and Syria on Wednesday searched for signs of life among the rubble of thousands of buildings that\u00a0collapsed in a devastating earthquake. He has killed more than 11,000 people in the world’s worst earthquake in over a decade. Turkish President Recep Tayyip […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[714,2480,562,2428],"tags":[471,487,1008,1009,1016,1024],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/trky.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3790"}],"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=3790"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3793,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3790\/revisions\/3793"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}