Thousands of rescuers in Turkey have pulled more people alive from the rubble caused by Monday’s earthquakes, but hopes in Turkey and Syria that many more survivors could be found are fading. Meanwhile, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said he expected the death toll to reach at least 50,000 after arriving in southern Turkey to assess the earthquake’s damage.
After 160 hours of the magnitude 7.8 quake, search and rescue teams found people alive in several locations. With a death toll of at least 29,605 in Turkey and 3,500 in Syria, where the figure has not been updated since Friday, the disaster has already surpassed the number of victims of the 1939 Erzincan earthquake and only going back to the 13th century is a disaster with more deadly consequences.
That number could be much higher. According to Griffiths, the number could be “double or more”. The British diplomat criticized the international failure to reach the regions of Syria devastated by the earthquake and war.
So far, only one UN caravan, consisting of 10 trucks carrying supplies, has arrived via Turkey. “So far we have failed the people of northwestern Syria. They rightly feel abandoned,” said Griffiths.
For the senior United Nations official, much more was needed now that millions of people are without homes or access to essential goods.
The World Health Organization director met with the Syrian leader in Damascus and said Bashar al-Assad was in favor of opening more border crossings to reach areas controlled by enemy regime forces.
Due to a threat deemed credible, the Israeli rescue team ended operations in Kahramanmaras and returned home. The day before, the Germans and Austrians had suspended work for safety reasons.
Source: DN
