The death toll from two massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria climbed above 33,000, as rescuers continued to dig through rubble for survivors and victims.
Collapsed buildings in the city of Van, Turkey on Thursday. Ozkan Bilgin / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Updated on Sunday Feb 12 IST 9:05 PM
Nearly a week after the most destructive earthquake in recent history, as the death toll exceeded 33,000 and survivors voiced frustration over the rescue operations.
Many people in Turkey are angry that rescue efforts have been moving very slowly and that precious time has been lost within the short time for finding survivors under the wreckage.
Six days after massive earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, killing tens of thousands of people, shock and grief are succumbing to rage and tension over what most victims feel to be an inadequate, unfair, and disproportionate response to the disaster.
Turkey Syria Earthquake more than 20,000 people killed till Thursday Feb 9
In Turkey, the death toll has risen to at least 17,134 with 70,347 others reported injured on Thursday, according to Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD).
In Syria death confirmed at least 3,317 — including 1,970 in rebel-held areas in the northwest according to the White Helmets civil defense group, and 1,347 deaths in government-controlled parts of Syria — according to Syrian state media.
The United Nation said its first cross-border aid convoy arrived in northwest Syria on Thursday. Six trucks of “shelter items and non-food item kits, including blankets and hygiene kits,” reached Bab al-Hawa, the only border crossing authorized by the U.N. Security Council for aid delivery.
People in Turkey are afraid of another earthquake, so some decided to face the arctic cold by staying outside and avoiding to stay in buildings.
As the earthquakes continued to claim more lives, some people grieved in silence while others cried out in despair. One man yelled into into an aid organization center for help and to save his family.
Emergency personnel conduct a rescue operation to save 16-year-old Melda from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, southern Turkey, on Feb. 9, 2023. BULENT KILIC, AFP via Getty Images
UK pledges additional $3.64 million aid
According to a statement released on Thursday, the UK promised to donate an additional 3 million pounds ($3.64 million) to the White Helmets to aid in rescue and emergency relief efforts in northwest Syria.
In the wake of the earthquake, Britain has so far donated a total of 3.8 million pounds ($4.62 million) to the White Helmets.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said. “Given the magnitude of the earthquakes and difficulties in accessing affected areas in northwest Syria, the UK will be providing the White Helmets with additional funding to aid their major search-and-rescue operations. Over 2,500 White Helmets volunteers are involved in the response across some 40 communities in northwest Syria,”
Turkish government fends off criticism
Perihan Sayar, 60, said she had lost her 10-year-old granddaughter, Ulku, as well as her home. “I lived alone, in a one-room house,” she said. “Now my house is also gone.”
Another women Adiyaman said they were furious at what they claim is a slow response from the government “Nobody was here to help us, I have complaints about all the authorities here,” said Nursen Guler on Wednesday, adding that she had one son in the hospital and another who was still trapped under the rubble. “There are no teams here, everyone is waiting for rescue teams,” she added.
Osman Yıldırım, a civil engineer of Turkey, said “after the last major earthquake hit Turkey in 1999, a torrent of new regulations were introduced to make buildings more resistant, but the government didn’t go far enough”
Opposition leaders and some social media users also blasted his government’s decision to block access to Twitter for about 12 hours, from Wednesday afternoon to early Thursday.
What Turkish authorities said over criticism
Turkish President Recep Erdogan speaks to the media as he visits the city of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday
Turkish authorities stated on Thursday they were targeting disinformation, Erdogan, who has come under scrutiny amid a cost-of-living crisis ahead of a general election in May, hit back at critics saying “dishonorable people” were spreading “lies and slander” about the government’s actions.
Attempts to control the narrative “are likely to fail,” according to Yaprak Gürsoy, a professor of European politics and chair of contemporary Turkish studies at the London School of Economics.
She added “To assume that there will not be any socioeconomic and political consequences of this collective trauma is naivete”.
