Gaziantep, Turkey
CNN
—
In Turkey and Syria, survivors are still being rescued from the rubble more than 24 hours after the devastating earthquake. knocked down thousands of housesat least 7,726 people died.
A magnitude 7.8 quake hit just after 4 a.m. local time on Monday, striking hundreds of miles and creating disaster zones on both sides of the Turkish-Syrian border. The region is home to millions of people already displaced by the Syrian civil war.
A CNN team witnessed an ongoing rescue operation in Gaziantep, southern Turkey. Two adults and two children were rescued from the ruins of a seven-story building on Tuesday afternoon local time. Rescuers said at least 20 people were believed to be under the rubble.
Three hours later, no survivors were seen but voices were heard beneath the rubble.
As it got dark outside another building in Gaziantep, English teacher Alptekin Taranchi told CNN that he was worried about a friend trapped under the rubble.
“The weather conditions are really bad,” said Taranchi, who said the temperature was very cold.
“I can’t believe he (his friend) can succeed, but I always have hope,” he added. “We are just praying.”
Drone footage shows massive destruction after earthquake
In Kahramanmaras city, a CNN team witnessed one building after another collapsing in the center of the city. Not only were emergency services seen at the scene, but multiple teams of private rescue groups from the local community banded together to help dig out their loved ones.
CNN affiliate CNN Turk also broadcast live the rescue of a 14-year-old boy in Kahramanmaras. He had a black eye, but he appeared conscious when rescuers carried him on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance.
“Finally. He’s been rescued,” said a CNN Turkey reporter.
The boy’s rescue offers a glimmer of hope that others can survive the freezing conditions, but the search party has been affected by traversing blocked roads, damaged infrastructure and violent aftershocks. The death toll continues to rise as it reaches the region.
Since then, there have been at least 125 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Aftershocks have decreased in frequency and magnitude as expected, but quakes of magnitude 5.0 to 6.0 are still possible and could cause further damage.
Up to 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, could be affected by an earthquake, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said efforts to help them were in a “race against time.” I’m calling it.
Here’s what we know:
At least 5,894 people have died in Turkey, officials said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces.
The area has experienced several aftershocks, creating a dangerous situation for rescuers and survivors. A dramatic video shows buildings collapsing hours after the first quake and mountains of dust soaring into the air as people scream and flee.
The weather and the scale of the disaster are making it difficult for aid teams to reach the affected areas, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said, adding that bad weather prevented helicopters from taking off on Monday.
CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said recent heavy snowstorms have hit parts of Syria and Turkey, with temperatures already expected to plummet to a few degrees below zero by Wednesday.
Photos taken in an earthquake-hit city in southeastern Turkey show families gathering around a fire to keep warm. Some sought shelter under buses, sports centers, mosques and temporary tarpaulin tents. Structures are either strong enough to withstand further aftershocks or fragile enough not to cause serious injury if they collapse.
At least 5,606 structures collapsed during the quake and in the hours afterward, according to Turkey’s disaster agency. The Iskenderun State Hospital in the city of the same name was among them, Koca said.
“We are trying to save health workers and patients there,” he added. “This kind of disaster can only be overcome through solidarity.”
Turkish authorities are urging drivers to leave the road to keep them free for rescue operations. Some areas are difficult for rescuers to reach as many roads and streets are littered with debris of concrete, metal debris and overturned cars.
At least 300,000 blankets, 24,712 beds and 19,722 tents had been sent to the quake-affected areas by late Monday, according to AFAD.
‘Speed is paramount’: How Europe is helping Turkey’s earthquake
Kishore Jaiswal, a structural engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey, warned that more buildings are at risk of collapsing, which could make rescue efforts difficult.
“The chances of seeing aftershocks strong enough to collapse these degraded structures are still slim,” he told CNN on Tuesday. people need to pay close attention to.”
Devastation is widespread in neighboring Syria, which has already been ravaged by civil war. Officials said at least 1,832 people were killed in government-held and opposition-controlled areas.
The “White Helmets” group, formally known as Syrian Civil Defense and operating in opposition-held areas, said Tuesday that “the number will rise significantly as hundreds of families are still under the rubble”. expected,” he said.
Much of northwestern Syria, which borders Turkey, is controlled by rebels and aid agencies have warned that a severe humanitarian crisis could continue in the coming months.
Turkey’s representative for the Syrian American Medical Society, Dr. Batil Tajaruddin, told CNN’s “This Morning” that the situation in Syria was complicated by political instability.
“The situation in Turkey is coordinated by a very well-developed government. They have the infrastructure, they have rescue teams,” said Tajaldin.
“In northern Syria, most services are provided through NGOs[non-governmental organizations]and humanitarian aid. There is no central government responsible for the multisectoral response,” he said.
The UN’s Syrian humanitarian coordinator El Mostafa Benramli told CNN that search and rescue operations were hampered by a shortage of heavy equipment and machinery.
He said the United Nations stock supplies were being distributed and needed more medicines and medical equipment, especially fresh water and tools to repair damaged water tanks.
“Most of the community depends on elevated tanks. I was.
About four million people in northern Syria have already been displaced as a result of the war and are dependent on humanitarian aid, according to UNICEF spokesman James Elder. This winter has been particularly harsh with cold weather and a cholera epidemic.
“Everyone is pushing too hard in that part of the world…there is an enormous amount of work to do,” he said. “People often flee their homes and stand in the bitter cold without any access to safe water. So water is key: blankets, food and psychological support.”
Photos: Deadly earthquake hits Turkey and Syria
Hospitals across the country are overwhelmed as victims seek help and some facilities have been damaged by the quake. There is particular concern about the spread of the disease, especially among children who are already living in extreme hardship.
“White Helmets” volunteers said the organization did not have enough support to deal with the disaster.
“Our teams are working around the clock to save injured people. It’s bigger than any organization in the world,” Ismail Abdullah told CNN. “We need an international effort to handle this disaster.”
Complicating the effort, the UN said Tuesday that the road leading to the only humanitarian aid crossing between Turkey and Syria has been damaged.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that while the intersection was intact and continues to be used as a transshipment hub, the road leading to the intersection was damaged and “temporarily put it out of full use. It is impeding our ability to do so,” he said at the briefing.
As the full extent of the disaster became clear, the international community has swiftly provided assistance to Turkey and Syria.
A plane carrying aid from Iraq and Iran, including food, medicine and blankets, arrived at Syria’s Damascus International Airport by Tuesday morning, Syrian state media SANA reported.
Japan announced it would send its disaster relief team to Turkey, and on Monday night the first of two Indian disaster relief teams left for Turkey with a squad of dogs and medical supplies. . Pakistan has also sent two search and rescue teams to the devastated country, and Australia and New Zealand have pledged funds for humanitarian aid.
The European Union said it would activate its crisis response mechanism and the US would send two search and rescue teams to Turkey. Palestinian civil defense and medical teams will also be deployed to Turkey and Syria to assist in the rescue effort.
Meanwhile, 10 Russian military units and more than 300 soldiers are clearing debris and supporting search and rescue operations in Syria, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Russia is the strongest foreign power operating in Syria, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has long allied with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has emergency response teams from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG), and WHO’s Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to support the humanitarian response. was mobilized to Turkey for
“The United Nations and partners are closely monitoring the situation on the ground and are seeking to mobilize emergency funds in the region,” UNOCHA said in a report on Monday.
But on Tuesday, UNOCHA spokesperson Madevi Sun-Suon told CNN that aid shipments from Turkey to Syria were “temporarily interrupted due to road obstructions.”
