A devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria on Monday, causing widespread destruction and leaving a death toll of 11,200 as of Wednesday. The number of injured has risen to over 55,000 as rescuers race to save survivors trapped under debris in the winter cold. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, provided an update on the casualty figures during a visit to the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, which was at the epicentre of the quake.
Time Running Out for Thousands Injured and Trapped
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that time is running out for the thousands injured and those still feared trapped. Mesut Hancer, a resident of Kahramanmaras, is among those who have lost a loved one. He sat on the freezing rubble, too grief-stricken to speak, as he held onto his deceased 15-year-old daughter Irmak’s hand.
Bleak Future for Survivors
Many survivors have taken refuge from relentless aftershocks, cold rain, and snow in mosques, schools, and even bus shelters, burning debris to stay alive. The frustration is growing as help has been slow to arrive. Ali Sagiroglu in Kahramanmaras said, “For two days we haven’t seen the state around here… Children are freezing from the cold.” In nearby Gaziantep, shops are closed, there is no heat, and finding petrol is difficult. The police had to intervene when impatient crowds waiting for rescue teams “revolted.”
Grief and Sadness Taint Rescues
Across the border in northern Syria, the decade-long civil war and Syrian-Russian aerial bombardment have already destroyed hospitals, collapsed the economy, and prompted electricity, fuel, and water shortages. In the rebel-controlled town of Jindayris, even the joy of rescuing a newborn baby was tainted with sadness as the infant was still tethered to her mother, who was killed in the disaster. The infant faces a difficult future as the sole survivor among her immediate family.
International Response
Dozens of nations, including the United States, China, and the Gulf States, have pledged to help, and search teams as well as relief supplies have begun to arrive by air. A winter storm has compounded the misery by rendering many roads almost impassable, causing traffic jams that stretch for kilometres in some regions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southeastern provinces. The WHO has warned that up to 23 million people could be affected by the earthquake and urged nations to rush help to the disaster zone. The Syrian Red Crescent has appealed to Western countries to lift sanctions and provide aid, but President Bashar al-Assad’s government remains a pariah in the West, complicating international relief efforts. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would not work with the Damascus government, but aid will go to the Syrian people, not the regime. Aid agencies have asked the Syrian government to allow border crossings to be reopened to bring help to rebel-held areas. The Turkiye-Syria border is one of the world’s most active earthquake zones. Monday’s earthquake was the largest Turkiye has seen since 1939.
