Death toll in Turkey and Syria earthquake tops 45000

 

The death toll in Turkey and Syria due to the destructive earthquake has crossed 45,000. The death toll is further expected to rise as rescue operations are still ongoing.

Many people are still missing in Turkey and Syria. Eleven days after the quake hit, the search and rescue teams pulled three people alive from under collapsed buildings in Turkey.

The death toll in Turkey stands at 39,672, while the death toll in Syria is at 5,800. The rescue operation is also ongoing in Syria.

Hakan Yasinoglu, in his 40s, was rescued in the southern province of Hatay in Turkey. Earlier, Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were rescued from Antakya.

According to the United Nations, at least 870,000 people urgently need food across the region. According to the Turkish Emergency Coordination Center SAKOM, the death toll could further increase.

Turkish people expressed anger and grief over the poor quality of buildings in the country as well as the government’s response to the destructive earthquake.

Recently, the UN also launched a $397 million humanitarian appeal for people affected by the earthquake in Syria. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, appealed to help nearly 5 million survivors of the earthquake in Syria.

Recently, Guterres also welcomed an agreement between the UN and Syrian President Bashar Assad to open two new crossing points from Turkey for three months to transport relief aid to Syria.

The UN has already delivered aid to the northwest Idlib area of Syria through a single crossing at Bab Al-Hawa. The relief aid helped earthquake victims in Syria.

 Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations, also called for help for earthquake victims in Syria. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), also visited Syria to ensure the safety of survivors.