According to authorities, around 264,000 apartments were destroyed in Turkey alone. Many people are still missing. However, survivors were still able to be rescued on Saturday – 296 hours after the first tremor. Helpers pulled three people, including a child, from the rubble of a building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya.
State broadcaster TRT’s report on Saturday could not be independently verified for now. A video showed how helpers wheeled a man and woman into an ambulance on a stretcher and medics treated the child. The broadcaster initially did not provide further information about the identity of those rescued. Humans can normally survive around 72 hours without water. According to the doctors, those buried who are still being rescued must have found some kind of water supply in the rubble.
The World Food Program (WFP) accuses rebels in northwest Syria of obstructing aid to earthquake victims. Governments in the region badly hit by the earthquake have not allowed any help, WFP director David Beasley told Portal news agency on Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “This is a bottleneck in our operations. This needs to be addressed immediately.” He announced that he would face the rebels. Most casualties in Syria were in rebel areas. The region is controlled by insurgents who are at war with President Bashar al-Assad’s troops.
Referring to all affected areas in Turkey and Syria, Beasley warned that survivors would need help in the coming months due to the destruction of public facilities and residential buildings. However, WFP will run out of funds in about 60 days. “Time is running out and we’re running out of money,” said the director. “Our mission alone costs about $50 million a month for earthquake relief.” If Europe is to avoid a new wave of refugees, the WFP must be supported. Among other things, the UN agency issues hot meals and food rations to take in disaster areas.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, is sending aid to Aleppo in the earthquake zone. The Lebanese Shi’ite militia said it wanted to deliver 29 truckloads of blankets, heaters and formula for babies on Saturday. Fighters from the Iranian-backed Lebanese organization played a key role in keeping the government in power during the war in Syria.
For Hezbollah supporter Hussein Ahmed from Beirut, supporting earthquake victims in Syria comes naturally, he says. According to the 18-year-old, many Lebanese “who have fought alongside Syrian government troops in recent years have flocked to Syria to help with rescue operations”.
Twelve days ago, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Turkey, followed hours later by a second strong 7.6 magnitude earthquake. The number of confirmed deaths in Turkey and Syria is still rising. Tens of thousands were also injured, millions are affected by the effects of the violent tremors.