More than 5,000 people have been confirmed dead in powerful earthquakes that struck central Turkey and northwest Syria, as weather conditions hamper efforts to rescue survivors.
An unknown number of people are trapped under the rubble and the World Health Organization has warned that the death toll could exceed 20,000. The WHO said that up to 23 million people could be affected.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday that the death toll in Turkey had risen to 3,419, while another 20,534 were injured.
Thousands of buildings were flattened in cities spread over a vast area. Rescuers are continuing to search under piles of cement and metal, but freezing temperatures are limiting their working hours.
“It is now a race against time,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, explaining that the UN health agency was sending urgent aid to the region.
The ongoing civil war in Syria is also complicating relief efforts. The death toll in Syrian government-held areas has risen to 812, according to state news agency SANA. Deaths have been reported as far away as Hama, about 100 km from the epicenter. In rebel-held Syria’s northwest, the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, has confirmed 790 deaths.
According to the WHO, Syria will face the most urgent need for assistance in the immediate and medium term.
US President Joe Biden called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed condolences to the NATO ally and offered assistance. The White House said it was sending search and rescue teams to support Turkey’s efforts.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for international assistance on Monday during a General Assembly session, noting that people in the affected areas were “in dire need of humanitarian assistance”.
europe on monday Active Its civil defense machinery to deploy help for the victims. Some 19 EU countries have sent coordinated search and rescue teams as well as medical aid. A total of 1,185 rescue teams and 79 sniffer dogs have been offered by European countries and the number may increase further. The European Union also activated the Copernicus satellite system to provide emergency mapping of the affected area.
“In Syria, the EU is in contact with its humanitarian partners on the ground and is funding humanitarian organizations that are carrying out search and rescue operations, as well as providing water and sanitation assistance, and blankets to the affected areas And distributing hygiene items.” The European Commission said in a statement.
With Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections just three months away, Erdoğan faces a formidable reconstruction challenge. Even before the earthquakes, the country was facing an economic crisis, with inflation at 58 percent.
The buildings that collapsed in many areas were built in the early 2010s and should have followed seismic regulations generally in force after the 1999 earthquakes.
The choice of government to deal with this humanitarian crisis can affect the results. The government’s response to the massive earthquake that struck northwestern Turkey in 1999 was widely seen as a determining factor in the rise of Erdoğan’s AKP party.