{"id":3959,"date":"2023-02-15T16:16:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T16:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=3959"},"modified":"2023-02-15T16:16:06","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T16:16:06","slug":"rising-tolls-make-earthquake-deadliest-in-turkeys-modern-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/climate\/rising-tolls-make-earthquake-deadliest-in-turkeys-modern-history\/2023\/02\/15\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Rising tolls make earthquake deadliest in Turkey’s modern history"},"content":{"rendered":"

Antakya,<\/span> Turkey<\/span> (AP)<\/span> —<\/span> Turkish<\/span> President<\/span> Recep<\/span> Tayyip<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> said<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday<\/span> that<\/span> an<\/span> earthquake<\/span> last<\/span> week<\/span> killed<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 35,000<\/span> people<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> disaster<\/span> since<\/span> the<\/span> country<\/span> was<\/span> founded<\/span> 100<\/span> years<\/span> ago.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> is<\/span> almost<\/span> certain<\/span> to<\/span> continue<\/span> rising,<\/span> but<\/span> many<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> tens<\/span> of<\/span> thousands<\/span> of<\/span> homeless<\/span> survivors<\/span> still<\/span> struggle<\/span> to<\/span> meet<\/span> basic<\/span> needs,<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> finding<\/span> shelter<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> bitter<\/span> cold.<\/span> increase.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> number<\/span> of<\/span> confirmed<\/span> deaths<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey<\/span> surpassed<\/span> his<\/span> record<\/span> for<\/span> the<\/span> 1939<\/span> Erzincan<\/span> earthquake,<\/span> which<\/span> killed<\/span> about<\/span> 33,000<\/span> people.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Erdogan<\/span> said<\/span> 105,505<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> injured<\/span> as<\/span> a<\/span> result<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> February<\/span> 6<\/span> he<\/span> earthquake<\/span> and<\/span> its<\/span> aftershocks<\/span> around<\/span> Kahramammaras.<\/span> Nearly<\/span> 3,700<\/span> deaths<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> confirmed<\/span> in<\/span> neighboring<\/span> Syria,<\/span> bringing<\/span> the<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> in<\/span> both<\/span> countries<\/span> to<\/span> over<\/span> 39,000.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Turkish<\/span> president,<\/span> who<\/span> called<\/span> the<\/span> quake<\/span> “the<\/span> catastrophe<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> century”,<\/span> said<\/span> more<\/span> than<\/span> 13,000<\/span> people<\/span> were<\/span> still<\/span> being<\/span> treated<\/span> in<\/span> hospitals.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>After<\/span> his<\/span> five-hour<\/span> ministerial<\/span> meeting<\/span> at<\/span> his<\/span> AFAD<\/span> headquarters<\/span> in<\/span> Ankara,<\/span> Erdogan<\/span> said<\/span> his<\/span> 47,000<\/span> buildings,<\/span> including<\/span> 211,000<\/span> apartments,<\/span> had<\/span> been<\/span> destroyed<\/span> or<\/span> damaged<\/span> and<\/span> had<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> demolished.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Aid<\/span> agencies<\/span> and<\/span> governments<\/span> are<\/span> ramping<\/span> up<\/span> efforts<\/span> to<\/span> bring<\/span> aid<\/span> to<\/span> ravaged<\/span> regions<\/span> of<\/span> Turkey<\/span> and<\/span> Syria.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> situation<\/span> in<\/span> Syria<\/span> is<\/span> particularly<\/span> desperate,<\/span> where<\/span> a<\/span> 12-year<\/span> civil<\/span> war<\/span> has<\/span> hampered<\/span> aid<\/span> efforts,<\/span> leading<\/span> to<\/span> days<\/span> of<\/span> debate<\/span> over<\/span> how<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> help,<\/span> let<\/span> alone<\/span> how.<\/span> Some<\/span> said<\/span> they<\/span> did<\/span> not<\/span> receive<\/span> anything.<\/span> Meanwhile,<\/span> in<\/span> Turkey,<\/span> families<\/span> flocked<\/span> to<\/span> wagons.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> Syrian<\/span> Ministry<\/span> of<\/span> Health<\/span> announced<\/span> a<\/span> final<\/span> death<\/span> toll<\/span> of<\/span> 1,414<\/span> and<\/span> 1,357<\/span> injured<\/span> in<\/span> areas<\/span> under<\/span> state<\/span> control.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>On<\/span> Tuesday,<\/span> the<\/span> United<\/span> Nations<\/span> launched<\/span> a<\/span> request<\/span> for<\/span> $397<\/span> million<\/span> to<\/span> provide<\/span> “nearly<\/span> five<\/span> million<\/span> Syrians<\/span> urgently<\/span> needed<\/span> life-saving<\/span> assistance”<\/span> for<\/span> three<\/span> months.<\/span> It<\/span> came<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> after<\/span> international<\/span> organizations<\/span> announced<\/span> a<\/span> deal<\/span> with<\/span> Damascus<\/span> to<\/span> deliver<\/span> UN<\/span> aid<\/span> from<\/span> Turkey<\/span> via<\/span> two<\/span> more<\/span> border<\/span> crossings<\/span> to<\/span> rebel-held<\/span> areas<\/span> of<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria,<\/span> but<\/span> the<\/span> need<\/span> Sex<\/span> was<\/span> still<\/span> pressing.<\/span> Ahmed<\/span> Ismail<\/span> Suleiman<\/span> has<\/span> set<\/span> up<\/span> a<\/span> blanket<\/span> shelter<\/span> in<\/span> front<\/span> of<\/span> his<\/span> damaged<\/span> home<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> town<\/span> of<\/span> Jinderis,<\/span> one<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> most<\/span> affected<\/span> areas<\/span> in<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria.<\/span> Eighteen<\/span> people<\/span> slept<\/span> outside<\/span> under<\/span> a<\/span> makeshift<\/span> tent<\/span> because<\/span> he<\/span> feared<\/span> returning<\/span> his<\/span> family<\/span> to<\/span> a<\/span> home<\/span> that<\/span> might<\/span> not<\/span> be<\/span> structurally<\/span> sound.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We’re<\/span> sitting<\/span> here,<\/span> but<\/span> we<\/span> can’t<\/span> lie<\/span> down<\/span> and<\/span> sleep,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span> “Waiting<\/span> for<\/span> a<\/span> real<\/span> tent.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>According<\/span> to<\/span> City<\/span> Council<\/span> Speaker<\/span> Mahmoud<\/span> Hafar,<\/span> residents<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> pitch<\/span> about<\/span> 2,500<\/span> tents<\/span> so<\/span> far,<\/span> but<\/span> about<\/span> 1,500<\/span> households<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> forced<\/span> to<\/span> leave<\/span> as<\/span> nighttime<\/span> temperatures<\/span> drop<\/span> to<\/span> about<\/span> -4<\/span> degrees<\/span> Celsius<\/span> (26<\/span> degrees<\/span> Fahrenheit).<\/span> I<\/span> don’t<\/span> have<\/span> a<\/span> shelter<\/span> yet.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“we<\/span> are<\/span> …<\/span> People<\/span> still<\/span> ask<\/span> when<\/span> the<\/span> help<\/span> will<\/span> come,”<\/span> Haffer<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>One<\/span> woman<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> city<\/span> had<\/span> a<\/span> surplus<\/span> of<\/span> donated<\/span> bread<\/span> and<\/span> water<\/span> while<\/span> tents<\/span> were<\/span> in<\/span> short<\/span> supply.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>In<\/span> government-held<\/span> Latakia<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> southwest,<\/span> Raeefa<\/span> Breemo<\/span> said<\/span> only<\/span> those<\/span> crammed<\/span> into<\/span> emergency<\/span> shelters<\/span> seemed<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> getting<\/span> help.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> eat,<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> drink,<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> survive.<\/span> Our<\/span> work,<\/span> our<\/span> lives,<\/span> everything<\/span> has<\/span> stopped,”<\/span> Brimo<\/span> said.<\/span> Major<\/span> humanitarian<\/span> groups<\/span> welcomed<\/span> the<\/span> deployment,<\/span> but<\/span> even<\/span> when<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> UN<\/span> aid<\/span> convoy<\/span> of<\/span> 11<\/span> trucks<\/span> entered<\/span> northwestern<\/span> Syria<\/span> via<\/span> Bab<\/span> al-Salaam<\/span> on<\/span> Tuesday,<\/span> logistical<\/span> problems<\/span> remained.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Antakya, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that an earthquake last week killed more than 35,000 people in Turkey, the worst disaster since the country was founded 100 years ago. The death toll is almost certain to continue rising, but many of the tens of thousands of homeless survivors still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[714,1034],"tags":[471,487,1008,1009,1016,1094],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/QUAKE-1.webp","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959"}],"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=3959"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3961,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3959\/revisions\/3961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}