The death toll from the quake in Turkey and Syria surpassed 33,000 on Sunday, as the United Nations lamented delays in bringing humanitarian aid to devastated Syrian areas and warned that the final toll could double.
The latest balances speak of 33,179 deaths (29,605 in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria), due to the most violent earthquake in the region for 80 years.
A new UN convoy arrived in northwestern Syria from Turkey on Sunday, but UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said more support was needed for the millions of people who lost their homes in the 7.8 magnitude quake. It happened almost a week ago.
“Until now we have failed the people of northwestern Syria. They have a right to feel abandoned, waiting for international help that has not arrived,” Griffiths said.
“My duty and my obligation is to correct this failure as quickly as we can,” he said.
The situation is exacerbated in Syria, whose health system and global infrastructure are weighed down by more than a decade of civil war.
The convoy this Sunday, made up of a dozen trucks carrying rescue tools, as well as blankets and mattresses, crossed through the Bab al Hawa border crossing from Turkey, according to an AFP correspondent.
On Saturday Griffiths had warned from Kahramanmaras, near the epicenter of the quake in Turkey, that the death toll could still rise considerably.
“It’s really hard to estimate very accurately, because you have to get under the rubble, but I’m sure it’s going to double or more,” Griffiths said. “It’s terrifying,” she added.
In the midst of a devastating scenario and freezing cold, tens of thousands of local and foreign rescuers work among the ruins in search of signs of life.
But fears for the safety of rescue teams have forced the suspension of some operations and dozens of people have been arrested in Turkey on charges of looting after the quake, according to state media. An Israeli team of volunteers announced on Sunday that it had withdrawn following “significant” threats to its security in Turkey.
26 million affected
Amid harsh winter conditions, miraculous cases of people being found under rubble continue to be reported, but experts warn that hopes of finding survivors are dwindling with each passing day.
In southern Turkey, a seven-month-old baby named Hamza was rescued alive more than 140 hours after the quake in Hatay and a 13-year-old teenager identified as Esma Sultan was saved in Gaziantep, according to state media.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 26 million people were affected by the earthquake and launched an urgent appeal to raise $42.8 million to finance urgent health needs.
According to the Turkish agency for emergencies and natural disasters, about 32,000 people are mobilized in the rescue operations, as well as more than 8,000 foreign rescuers.
But in many areas, crews lack sensors, meaning their job is reduced to carefully excavating collapsed buildings with shovels or even bare hands.
Alaa Moubarak, director of Civil Defense for Jableh, in northwestern Syria, said they have not received new equipment in 12 years.
“If we had this kind of equipment, we would have saved hundreds of lives, maybe more.”
outrage grows
The government in Syria announced that it had approved the delivery of humanitarian aid to rebel areas outside its control in Idlib province and that the convoy was due to leave on Sunday, although it was later postponed.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to authorize the opening of more border posts to send aid to rebel-held areas of Syria from Turkey.
The passing of days also leads to the search for responsibilities, especially in Turkey, where the population lashes out at the slow response of the government and the poor quality of the buildings after the worst disaster in almost a century.
The authorities say that more than 12,000 properties were destroyed or seriously affected by the shock and the police arrested 12 people, including some property developers, for the collapse of buildings.
AFP
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