Rescue efforts continue in Turkey following February 6 deadly earthquake that killed more than 24,000 people.
Among those rescued on February 11 were a family of five pulled from the rubble in Turkey’s Gaziantep province.
AP news agency reported the parents, two daughters and son were brought to safety after five days under their collapsed home, to cries of “God is great”.
The same outlet reported that a seven-year-old girl was pulled from the debris in the province of Hatay after almost 132 hours under the rubble.
Another remarkable rescue of two sisters in Antakya, southern Turkey, took place on February 8.
The quake was described as the “worst event in 100 years in this region” by the United Nations aid chief, who was in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on February 11.
The border crossing between long-feuding Armenia and Turkey reopened on the same day for the first time in 35 years to allow aid through.
And there are reports that the Syrian government has agreed to let UN aid into areas controlled by opposition groups, with whom they have been engaged in a bitter civil war since 2011.
Image source: Reuters
The death toll in Syria from the earthquake now stands at more than 3,500, according to AFP – but new figures have not been publishes since February 10.
There has been criticism that the international effort to send aid to Syria has not been fast enough.
Sivanka Dhanapala, the Syria representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told AlJazeera that as many 5.3 million Syrians may be homeless following the quake.
The death toll in Turkey and Syria from the quake has surpassed 28,000, and hope of finding many more survivors is fading despite some miraculous rescues.
German rescuers and the Austrian army paused search operations on February 11, citing clashes between unnamed groups.
Security is expected to worsen as food supplies dwindle, one rescuer said.
And nearly 50 people have been arrested for looting, with several guns seized, local media reported.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would use emergency powers to punish anyone breaking the law.
An Austrian army spokesperson said that clashes between unidentified groups in the Hatay province had left dozens of personnel from the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit seeking shelter in a base camp with other international organisations.
Photo by Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Hours after Austria paused its rescue efforts, the country’s ministry of defense said that the Turkish army had stepped in to offer protection, allowing the rescue operations to resume.
The German branch of the search and rescue group ISAR and Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (TSW) also suspended operations, citing security concerns.
The Vice President of Turkey, Fuat Oktay announced on February 11 the death toll in Turkey has risen to 24,617.
While President Erdogan hasn’t commented on the reported unrest in Hatay, he did reiterate that the government would take action against those involved in crimes in the region.
“We’ve declared a state of emergency,” he said during a visit to the disaster zone today.
“It means that, from now on, the people who are involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the state’s firm hand is on their backs.”
State media reported that 48 people had been arrested for looting, according to AFP. Turkish state media reported several guns were seized, along with cash, jewellery and bank cards.
Turkish police have also reportedly detained 12 people over collapsed buildings in the provinces of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa. They included contractors, according to the DHA news agency.
At least 6,000 buildings collapsed in Turkey, raising questions about if the large-scale tragedy could have been avoided and whether President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government could have done more to save lives.
With elections looming, the president’s future is on the line after spending 20 years in power and his pleas for national unity going unheeded.
President Erdogan has admitted shortcomings in the response, but he appeared to blame fate on a visit to one disaster zone: “Such things have always happened. It’s part of destiny’s plan.”
The death toll in Syria from the earthquake now stands at more than 3,500, according to AFP – but new figures have not been publishes since February 10.
There has been criticism that the international effort to send aid to Syria has not been fast enough.
Sivanka Dhanapala, the Syria representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told AlJazeera that as many 5.3 million Syrians may be homeless following the quake.
Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors in southern Turkey and northern Syria after two huge earthquakes on February 6.
Nearly 8,000 people have lost their lives in Turkey and Syria following the earthquakes.
More than 7,800 people have been killed, but there are warnings the death toll could continue to surge. Thousands of buildings have been destroyed and among the buildings damaged by the earthquake is Gaziantep Castle.
As search efforts continue into a second freezing-cold night, time is running out for rescuers to find survivors under the rubble.
Relatives of victims who lived in collapsed buildings have joined frantic rescue efforts in one of the worst-hit Turkish cities, using pickaxes and crowbars.
Some anguished families have said rescue services took too long to respond in some areas.
Photo by Eren Bozkurt/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The first 7.8 magnitude quake struck near Gaziantep in the early hours of February 6, followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor hours later.
The death toll from the devastating earthquake has now jumped to more than 7,800 people. A breakdown of the figures by AFP news agency says 5,894 people died in Turkey and at least 1,932 are reported dead in Syria.
The north-west region of Syria is home to millions of refugees displaced by civil war since 2011.
Control of the area is divided between the Syrian government, Kurdish-led forces and other rebel groups, hugely complicating the distribution of aid.
The United Nations says damage to roads is also hindering the aid effort.
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