The powerful earthquake has left thousands dead in Turkey and Syria, positioning this seismic tragedy as one of the largest of the century, with incomparable human losses to any other type of material affectation.
Against this background, Unesco warned about the significant damage to several world heritage sitesreported the UN agency for Education, Science and Culture.
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In addition to the destruction in the old city of Aleppo (north and Syria), included in the world heritage in danger, and in the fortress of Diyarbakir (south of Turkey), Unesco warned that other places not far from the epicenter could have been seen. affected.
“Our organization will provide assistance within the framework of its mandate,” Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO’s director-general, said in a statement Monday night.
The organization has undertaken with its partners a first damage study caused to the patrimony by the earthquake, indicated the text.
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The old city of Aleppo, greatly impacted by the four years of fighting between 2012 and 2016, is one of the points for which the organization is “particularly concerned”, especially the citadel and the souks.
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It also emphasizes Turkey’s “collapse of several buildings” of the Diyarbakir fortress and the Hevsel Gardens, “an important center of the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman eras,” according to Unesco.
at least others three Turkish world heritage sites could be damaged: Göbekli Tepe, Nemrut Dag and the Tell of Arslantepe, according to the agency’s statement, which seeks to “make an accurate inventory of the damage in order to quickly secure and stabilize these sites.”
The castle of Gaziantep, in Turkey, with a part destroyed by the tremor and whose images have circulated on social networks, not part of the estate UNESCO World Cup.
According to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, nearly 3,000 buildings collapsed in seven provinces of the country.
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International aid
The Turkish president says that 45 countries offered their helpwhich began to arrive in Turkey on Tuesday with the first teams of lifeguards.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the bloc plans to host a donor conference in March. Nineteen EU Member States sent a total of 1,185 rescuers and 79 detection dogs to Turkey.
In Syria, the EU is working with humanitarian partners and funding relief operations.
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Despite the Russian invasion, Ukraine will send 87 rescuers to Turkey. The United States promised to send some 160 first responders and China announced aid of 5.9 million dollars, including specialized rescuers in urban environments, medical equipment and emergency supplies.
The United Arab Emirates promised 100 million dollars in aid and Saudi Arabia, which has not had relations with the Syrian government since 2012, announced that it will create an air bridge with the two countries.
Russia has said it will send rescue teams to Syria, where more than 300 Russian servicemen have already been deployed, according to the army. Sweden also promised to help Turkey despite bilateral tensions.
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Israel announced that it “approved” the sending aid to Syriaafter a request from Damascus presented through “diplomatic” channels, since both countries do not maintain official relations.
Algeria and Libya sent rescue teams and Tunisia ordered the shipment of 14 tons of blankets and food.
AFP
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