A week to one of the deadliest earthquakes in the last few decades, the death toll in Syria and Turkey stands at 33, 000 and above and is set to keep growing. Rescuers also managed to pull more survivors from the rubble, as nations including India kept on sending humanitarian assistance to the middle-eastern country. Meanwhile, Turkish authorities began legal action over illegal construction leading to several building collapses. Here are the top updates from Turkey to look out for.
– The United Nations acknowledged the failure of the international agency to help northwest Syria following a series of earthquakes. It called for an immediate ceasefire to allow aid to be delivered to the region”, Reuters reported. Martin Griffiths, the UN’s humanitarian affairs chief, said that people in areas held by rebels “rightly feel abandoned.
– The seventh Operation Dost flight, a part of India’s humanitarian assistance to quake-hit Turkey and Syria, reached Syria on Sunday with over 20 tons of relief supplies and Turkey with around 12 tons of relief material. Moutaz Douaz, a government official in Damascus, received the aid.
– The US government on February 12 called for immediate humanitarian access to all areas in Syria. It noted that President Bashar al-Assad’s government should allow aid to reach those in need.
– Many people are angry and frustrated, alleging the government’s failure to respond properly to the disaster. They also believe that the time it took to find survivors under the rubble is too much, losing several lives, AP reported
– The Indian Army medical team that reached Turkey on February 12 had to drive for almost five hours to reach the quake-stricken city of Iskenderun. The team now operates amidst water-filled underpasses, hills of concrete and rubble, and buildings with deep cracks.
– For the first time in three decades, Armenia and Turkey opened their borders to allow humanitarian aid to enter the areas ravaged by the powerful earthquakes that hit the region.
– Virender Paul, the body of the lone Indian who went missing following the earthquake, was sent to his home in Uttarakhand, India’s Ambassador to Turkey Virender Paul said on February 12. He was reportedly on a business trip when the disaster occurred.