The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, urged the international community on Monday to help the thousands of families affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, stressing that “many were already in urgent need of help humanitarian”.
“My condolences are with the people of Turkey and Syria at this hour of tragedy. I send my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. The United Nations is fully committed to supporting the response,” Guterres said. in a released statement.
The UN leader also reported that his teams are already on the ground assessing the needs of the affected population and providing assistance, noting that the number of victims should continue to rise as rescue efforts continue.
Before Guterres presented his priorities for 2023 to the General Assembly, the UN plenary observed a minute’s silence in honor of the victims of the earthquake.
More than 2,300 people died this Monday after the earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale and the aftershocks that struck southern Turkey and northern Syria, according to the provisional balance of local authorities.
According to AFAD, a Turkish public disaster management body, earthquakes have so far killed 1,498 people in Turkey and injured at least 8,533.
According to the source, 2,834 buildings collapsed, raising fears of a higher death toll, as well as hundreds of deaths in neighboring Syria.
The earthquake also left 430 dead and 1,315 injured in areas controlled by the Syrian government, according to data from the Syrian Ministry of Health collected by the SANA agency. The provisional data correspond to the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus.
To these figures are added 380 dead and more than a thousand wounded in areas controlled by rebels in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo, in the northwest of the country, as reported by the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the ‘white helmets’, through his Twitter account., where he lamented “the catastrophe and devastation” caused by the earthquake.
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake that occurred this Monday registered a magnitude of 7.8 and dozens of aftershocks were felt.
The earthquake occurred at 04:17 (01:17 in Lisbon), 33 kilometers from the provincial capital of Gaziantep, in southeastern Turkey and near the border with Syria, at a depth of 17.9 kilometers. .
The quake struck southeastern Turkey and Syria and is considered the largest since 1939. The 7.8 magnitude temblor was also felt in Lebanon, Cyprus, Israel and Jordan.
Source: TSF
