Ankara [Turkey], February 8 (ANI): The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 11,376, CNN reported citing authorities. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that at least 8,574 people have died and nearly 50,000 others have been injured in Turkey. He made the remarks during his visit to disaster areas near the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake.

The total number of deaths has now reached 2802 in Syria. As many as 1,540 deaths have been reported in rebel-held regions in the northwest, CNN reported citing White Helmets.

Meanwhile, 1,262 people have died in government-controlled areas of Syria, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash said, CNN reported citing Syrian state media. The total number of injured people in Syria has reached 5,008, which includes 2,258 in government-controlled areas and 2,750 in the rebel-held parts.

Aid agencies and emergency workers have said that the death toll is likely to rise further with many people still trapped under the rubble and freezing weather conditions hampering rescue efforts, as per the news report.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the state has mobilized all its resources. He said that 6,444 buildings collapsed due to the two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 rocked the country on Monday. He made the remarks as he inspected relief efforts in Kahramanmaras province, where two powerful quakes that shook the region, impacting nine other provinces and more than 13 million people. “We have mobilized all our resources. The state is working with municipalities, especially AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), with all its means,” Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as saying.

The Syrian government has said that it has established more than 100 shelters equipped with aid supplies for those affected by the earthquake in government-controlled areas, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Tartus and Latakia, as per the news report.

A total of 126 shelters have been set up in Aleppo, which is one of the cities that has been most impacted by the earthquake and 52 mosques have been changed into centres for people affected by the earthquake, CNN reported citing SANA.

The government has said that it has provided 23 shelters and transformed 20 mosques into aid centres in Latakia, CNN cited SANA report. Furthermore, 11 shelters have been set up in Hama, Homs and Tartus.

Thousands of buildings collapsed in both countries and aid agencies are particularly worried about northwestern Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.
Freezing weather conditions are further endangering survivors and complicating rescue efforts, as more than 100 aftershocks have struck the region.

The search for survivors of the terrible earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria on Monday continues on Wednesday. Foreign aid from multiple countries has started arriving in the region.
Rescuers are racing to pull survivors from earthquake rubble before they succumb to cold weather in southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria. As the death toll climbed, despair and anger were growing over the pace of rescue efforts, reported Khaleej Times.

Bulldozers and workers wearing helmets are ploughing through the mountainous pile of broken concrete, as plumes of dust surround them.

But they are worried about the infrastructure of buildings on either side of the rubble, which have been compromised following Monday’s devastating quake — and could still collapse.

After a series of earthquakes and aftershocks in Turkey and Syria, many tried to flee the devastated city of Gaziantep, located about 33km (20 miles) from the epicenter.
With the airport and many roads outside the city blocked, those who were unable to leave took refuge on Tuesday in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques, and community centers.
“When I thought of leaving the city, it was already too late,” 25-year-old Yunus Koser told Al Jazeera.

Koser, who took shelter in Sih Fetullah square with his mother and brother, was working a night shift in the Ibrahimli neighborhood – one of the city’s most affected areas – when the first earthquake hit early on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Red Crescent has called on Western countries to lift sanctions on the country to facilitate relief efforts. “Lift the economic sanctions imposed on Syria and the Syrian people,” said Khaled Hboubati, president of the Syrian Red Crescent. “Open the way for us. We are ready to provide assistance. We are ready to provide aid through the crossline and to send aid convoys to Idlib,” he told reporters. “I call on the United Nations, and the countries on the European Union and the USAID Program to support,” he added.

The Syrian government remains under heavy sanctions aimed at isolating the country economically in response to widely documented human rights violations since the war started in 2011. The colossal mission to find survivors in Gaziantep has been ongoing for more than 50 hours, with some rescuers using nothing more than their hands to dig through concrete and debris in the southern Turkish city, reported CNN.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month-long state of emergency in 10 provinces as rescuers race against time in Turkey and Syria following Monday’s devastating earthquake, reported CNN.

Countries and organizations from across the globe have responded to the crisis with money, equipment, and boots on the ground. Doctors Without Borders says it has 500 staff working in Syria — some of whom lost family members in the quake.

Flags of all 30 member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) flew at half-mast at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels in honour of those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this week.

The flag of NATO flew at half mast on Tuesday after a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey on Monday, CNN reported “All flags at NATO Headquarters are at half-mast today in solidarity with our Ally #Turkiye,” NATO said in a tweet. NATO has sent aid in the form of medical personnel to Turkey, a member of the 30-nation alliance, in the form of medical personnel and supplies.More than 1400 response personnel from more than 20 NATO allies have been deployed to quake-hit Turkey for rescue operations.

“Over 1,400 emergency response personnel from more than twenty #NATO Allies and partners – including invitees Finland and Sweden – are deploying to Turkiye, helping to respond to the devastating earthquakes which struck the country,” the official Twitter handle of NATO tweeted.
India is extending its support to Turkey and Syria through the ongoing crisis after the earthquake.

On Tuesday, the first Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 flight carrying National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel, a specially trained dog squad along with necessary equipment, including medical supplies, drilling machines and other equipment required for the aid efforts reached Turkey. Also, a flight carrying 6.5 tons of emergency relief assistance consisting of life-saving medicines and emergency medical items took off for Syria on Tuesday night.

Several other countries have come forward to aid and assist Turkey after a massive earthquake shattered lives in the country.

NATO said its members are sending more than 1,400 emergency response personnel, and a US rescue team is expected to land in the Turkish city of Adana on Wednesday, reported CNN.
The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey‘s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

As support arrives from around the world, the scale of the humanitarian crisis is becoming clearer and aid agencies are warning of the difficulties in both reaching survivors and treating the injured.

The World Health Organization estimates up to 23 million people could be affected by the earthquake. The situation is particularly dire in Syria, where the UN says nearly 70% of the population was in need of humanitarian assistance before the quake — an issue that has only been compounded by the tragedy. The damage caused a temporary disruption to the UN’s cross-border aid into Syria, with UN humanitarian teams exploring all avenues to reach those in need. Meanwhile, hospitals in war-hit Syria are “absolutely overloaded,” UNICEF’s representative in Aleppo said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on Tuesday, declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southern provinces which were hit by massive quakes, Anadolu Agency reported.
While addressing the State Information Coordination Center in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said, “Based on the authority given to us by Article 119 of the Constitution, we decided to declare a state of emergency.”
“We will quickly complete the presidential and parliamentary processes about the state of emergency decision, which will cover 10 provinces where earthquakes have occurred and will last for three months,” he added.

Erdogan made his comments after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Kahramanmaras province’s Pazarcik district early on Monday, followed about nine hours later by a 7.6-magnitude earthquake that rocked the area and had an impact on several other provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. The earthquake was also felt in several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon.

Many people attempted to evacuate the destroyed city of Gaziantep, which is situated around 33 kilometres (20 miles) from the epicentre, after a series of earthquakes and aftershocks in Turkey and Syria.
Those who could not leave the city on Tuesday sought sanctuary in malls, stadiums, mosques, and community centres because the airport and numerous roads outside the city were blocked. The search for survivors of the terrible earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria on Monday continues on Wednesday. Foreign aid from multiple countries has started arriving in the region.

Rescuers are racing to pull survivors from earthquake rubble before they succumb to cold weather in southern Turkey and war-ravaged northern Syria. As the death toll climbed, despair and anger were growing over the pace of rescue efforts, reported Khaleej Times.

The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometres (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometres (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said

Fourth Indian Air Force plane carrying earthquake relief assistance lands in Turkey

New Delhi [India], February 8 (ANI): A fourth C17 plane of the Indian Air Force carrying relief assistance for Turkey’s earthquake victims landed in Adana on Wednesday
The plane landed at 4.30 IST (local time).
“The fourth @IAF_MCC aircraft leaves for Turkiye with the remaining component of the field hospital. This includes 54 members of the Indian Army medical team as well as medical and other equipment to establish the facility,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

India had dispatched its fourth batch of aid, including 54 members of the medical team from the Indian Army as part of the country’s Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India stands forever for humanity and does not let changing geopolitical situations get in the way of its policy of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.’
Speaking to ANI today, Jaishankar said that in geopolitical situations, ups and downs happen every day, ho

wever, India has stable relations with countries. “Every day we see ups & down in geopolitical situations but India has stable relations with countries. As per our policy of ‘Vasudaiva Kutumbakam’ – India stands forever for humanity,” EAMJaishankar told ANI when asked about support to Turkey despite New Delhi’s differences with Ankara.

Early on Tuesday, the first C17 flight of the IAF arrived in Turkey’s Adana with more than 50 members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a specially trained dog squad, and the tools needed for the relief activities, including medical supplies, drilling machines, and other equipment.

Turkish Embassy in New Delhi tweeted “First batch of earthquake relief material along with NDRF’s special search & rescue teams and trained dog squads just arrived in Turkiye. Thank you, India for your support and solidarity.”

Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar wrote, “First Indian C17 flight with more than 50 @NDRFHQ Search & Rescue personnel, specially trained dog squads, drilling machines, relief material, medicines, and other necessary utilities & equipment reaches Adana, Turkiye.”

Several other countries have come forward to aid and assist Turkey after a massive earthquake shattered lives in the country. (ANI)