Turkey-Syria earthquake: Clock ticking for untold numbers buried under rubble, death toll crosses 11,500
In an effort to support rescue efforts, President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday imposed a three-month state of emergency for Turkey's ten southern districts that had recently experienced deadly earthquakes
Rescuers from Turkey and Syria, and increasingly from around the world as international assistance arrived, continue to search for survivors as the clock ticks for untold numbers buried under rubble after major earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Officials say the number of dead has jumped to more than 11,500 on Wednesday, reports Reuters.
Rescue workers struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas were without fuel and electricity.
With little immediate help at hand, residents picked through rubble sometimes without even basic tools in a desperate hunt for survivors.
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Aid officials voiced particular concern about the situation in Syria, already afflicted by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.
In an effort to support rescue efforts, President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday imposed a three-month state of emergency for Turkey's ten southern districts that had recently experienced deadly earthquakes. The action was taken as rescue workers raced against time to rescue people from the wreckage of collapsed buildings, Reuters has reported.
When a state of emergency is declared, the president and cabinet have the authority to establish new laws without the consent of the legislature and to restrict or suspend rights and freedoms as they see fit.
The magnitude 7.8 quake rippled through both countries early on Monday, toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands more people injured or homeless.
With the scale of the disaster becoming ever more apparent, the death toll - now 9,057 in Turkey - looks likely to keep on rising.
In neighbouring Syria, already devastated by 11 years of war, the death toll climbed to more than 2,500 overnight, according to the Syrian government and a rescue service operating in the rebel-held northwest.
Freezing winter weather hampered search efforts for survivors through the night into Tuesday.
In Turkey, many people spent a second night of freezing temperatures sleeping in their cars or in the streets under blankets, worried to go back into buildings shaken by Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake - the country's deadliest since 1999.
On Tuesday, AFAD said nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed in the tremors a day earlier.
It said 13,740 search and rescue personnel were deployed and more than 41,000 tents, 100,000 beds and 300,000 blankets had been sent to the region. "The delivery of personnel and vehicles continued uninterrupted during the night," it said.
Keep reading:
- Why is Turkey an earthquake hot spot?
- Worse than 'years of war': Syria hospital treats quake survivors
- Deadliest earthquakes in recent times
- Earthquake aftershocks to continue for days, possibly months: Expert
- Earthquake piles misery on war-ravaged Syrians in wintry north
- Turkey quake: 'It's a race against time'
08:00pm (BST): Nearly 300,000 displaced by Syria quake
More than 298,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to this week's deadly earthquake, Syrian state media reported, in an apparent reference to the parts of Syria under government control, not those held by other factions.
State news agency SANA quoted Hussein Makhlouf, minister of local administration and environment, as saying the state had also opened 180 shelters for displaced people.
07:00pm (BST): Quakes in Syria damages nearly 250 schools: education minister
Nearly 250 schools in Syria's government-controlled areas have been damaged due to the earthquakes, Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported quoting Education Minister Darem Tabbaa.
The schools were in Aleppo, Lattakia, Tartous, Hama, and Idlib, Tabbaa said, adding that 126 schools have been turned into shelters.
06:30pm (BST): Bangladesh announces state mourning for Turkey, Syria earthquake
The Government of Bangladesh has announced a national mourning on Thursday (9 February) on the wake of the massive loss of lives in the deadly earthquake in Turkey and bordering Syria.
06:00pm (BST): Bangladesh sending rescue team to earthquake ridden Turkey
A rescue team of the Fire Service and Civil Defence is being sent to Turkey to join the search and rescue operations after the deadly earthquake that rippled through Turkey and its neighbouring Syria in the early hours of Monday.
05:00pm (BST): Total death toll crosses 11,000 as Erdogan visits affected areas: AL Jazeera
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that the death toll in the country from Monday's earthquakes has reached 8,574, even as rescue workers are continuing to search for victims buried under mountains of rubble.
Erdogan was speaking from Kahramanmaras during a visit to some of the areas worst hit by the temblors.
At least 2,530 people have died in Syria, according to a tally of numbers made public by the government in Damascus and rescue groups in rebel-held regions, taking the total death toll from the earthquakes in excess of 11,000.
04:10pm (BST): Eight-year-old boy rescued from rubble after 52 hours
Incredible stories and images are continuing to emerge from the many disaster sites, reports BBC.
In Hatay, Turkey, an eight-year-old boy has been rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building after some 52 hours.
Yigit Cakmak was carried from the building to his waiting mother, who greeted him with a big hug.
02:30pm (BST): China offers $4.4m emergency aid to Syria
China will offer emergency humanitarian aid of 30 million yuan ($4.4 million) to earthquake-hit Syria, its foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, told a regular news briefing on Wednesday.
Mao said $2 million of the emergency aid would be used for cash and urgently needed relief supplies, adding that China would speed up existing food aid projects.
China has already committed to give a first tranche of 40 million yuan in emergency aid to Turkey.
An earthquake rescue team sent by China arrived at Turkey's Adana Airport early on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV said. The 82-strong team brought 20 tonnes of medical and other rescue supplies and equipment, as well as four search-and-rescue dogs, CCTV added.
The team will co-operate with local authorities, China's embassy in Turkey, the United Nations and other agencies on missions such as setting up a temporary command, search and efforts, and providing medical aid, it said.
In addition, civil society rescue teams numbering at least 52, drawn from provinces such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, are heading to earthquake-hit areas in Turkey for rescue work, CCTV reported.
12:30pm (BST): Taliban administration to send aid to Turkey, Syria
Afghanistan's Taliban administration will send around $165,000 in aid to Turkey and Syria to help the response to a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck this week, according to a foreign ministry statement.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan ... announces a relief package of 10 million Afghanis ($111,024) and 5 million Afghanis ($55,512) to Türkiye and Syria respectively on the basis of shared humanity and Islamic brotherhood," a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said late on Tuesday.
10:30pm (BST): Death toll in Syria surpasses 2,500
The death toll in Syria from a devastating earthquake has surpassed 2,500, according to Syrian state media and a rescue service operating in the insurgent-held northwest. The White Helmets rescue team said on Twitter the casualty toll in insurgent-held areas has risen to more than 1,280 deaths and more than 2,600 injured.
"The number is expected to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble, more than 50 hours after the earthquake," the White Helmets wrote.
Overnight, the Syrian health minister said the number of dead in government-held parts of the country rose to 1,250, the state-run al-Ikhbariya news outlet reported on its Telegram feed. The number of wounded was 2,054, he said.
08:30am (BST): 'Terrifying Scene' at refugee camps
Syrian refugees in northwest Syria and in Turkey were among the most vulnerable people affected, Elder said.
In the Syrian city of Hama, Abdallah al Dahan said funerals for several families were taking place on Tuesday.
"It's a terrifying scene in every sense," said Dahan, contacted by phone. "In my whole life I haven't seen anything like this, despite everything that has happened to us."
Mosques opened their doors to families whose homes were damaged.
The Syrian state news agency SANA said at least 812 people were killed in the government-held provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Tartous.
At least 1,120 people were killed in Syria's opposition-held northwest with the toll expected to "rise dramatically", the White Helmets rescue team said.
"There are lot of efforts by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the catastrophe and the large number of collapsed buildings," group head Raed al-Saleh said.
A UN humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles.
"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged," UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters from Damascus.
In Malatya, Turkey, locals with no specialist equipment or even gloves tried to pick through the wreckage of homes crumpled by the force of the earthquake.
"My in-laws' grandchildren are there. We have been here for two days. We are devastated," said Sabiha Alinak.
"Where is the state? We are begging them. Let us do it, we can rescue them. We can do it with our means."
06:20pm (BST): Turkey declares state of emergency in 10 cities
Following yet another increase in the official death toll, the president of Turkey has announced a three-month state of emergency in the southeast of the nation.
According to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, there have now been 3,549 confirmed fatalities in Turkey alone, an increase of 130, reports BBC.
He stated that 10 cities are located inside the earthquake catastrophe zone and noted that 70 different nations have offered their assistance to his government.
Additionally, President Erdogan made plans to use Antalya hotels as temporary homes for those displaced by the earthquake.
The resort on the south-western coast of Turkey is a well-liked vacation spot for visitors from all over Europe.
05:02pm (BST): German-Turkish community races to send money and blankets to quake victims
Turkish and Kurdish communities in Germany have launched donation drives to send money, warm clothes and blankets to victims of a devastating earthquake that tore through Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday.
As news of the disaster spread and sparked frantic appeals for help, volunteers began collecting aid in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich for the thousands left injured or homeless after their homes were destroyed.
Germany has around 2.3 million people of Turkish origin, the largest Turkish diaspora community in the world, according to the Turkish Community in Germany.
04:50pm (BST): Syria's Red Crescent ready to deliver aid to opposition-held areas
Syria's Red Crescent is ready to deliver relief aid to all the country's regions including opposition-held areas and is urging the United Nation to facilitate this, its head said on Tuesday.
"We do not differentiate between any of the Syrian people. We are the Syrian Arab Red Crescent for all the Syrian people," Khaled Hboubati told in a news conference.
04:49pm (BST): Quake halts UN cross-border aid to Syria, unclear when will resume
The flow of critical UN aid from Turkey to northwest Syria has temporarily halted due to damage to roads and other logistical issues related to the deadly earthquake that struck the two countries on Monday, a UN spokesperson said.
Even before the quake struck in the early hours of Monday, the United Nations estimated that more than 4 million people in northwest Syria, many displaced by the war and living in camps, depended on cross-border aid.
Those needs have now increased, a top UN aid official said, making the hundreds of trucks worth of food, medical and other assistance that enter Syria via Turkey each month all the more vital.
04:41pm (BST): Unicef says Turkey-Syria earthquake may have killed thousands of children
The United Nations children's agency said on Tuesday that the earthquake and aftershocks that destroyed scores of buildings in Turkey and Syria may have killed thousands of children.
"The earthquakes that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria early yesterday morning may have killed thousands of children," Unicef spokesperson James Elder told reporters at a briefing in Geneva.
He added the organisation could not determine a specific death toll of children.
03:00pm (BST): Damage in Turkey extensive following multiple jolts
So far, 11,000 buildings have been reported damaged in Turkey, Orhan Tatar, an official with the country's disaster management agency, said in a televised briefing earlier. Nearly 25,000 emergency responders are working at scenes impacted, he added.
Nearly 25,000 emergency responders are working at scenes impacted, reported CNN.
02:40 (BST): Amid rescue efforts, fighting on Turkey-Syria border continues: Al Jazeera
While the search for thousands of earthquake casualties goes on in Turkey and northern Syria, the fighting on their shared border has not stopped.
On Tuesday, Turkey's National Defense Ministry said its troops had targeted the YPG and PKK rebel groups in retaliation for alleged rockets fired into an area near the Turkey-Syria border.
The ministry said the rebels carried out a multi-barrel rocket attack from Tal Rifaat in northwestern Syria to the area of Oncupinar border post in the southern Turkish province of Kilis.
There was no damage or loss in Turkish units, it added. Al Jazeera could independently verify the ministry's claims.
02:00pm (BST): Earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes eastern Turkey region
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck eastern Turkey on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said, Hindustan Times reported.
The quake was at a depth of 46km (28.58 miles), the centre added
01:50pm (BST): Turkey port fire rages after deadly earthquake
A large fire that broke out at a section of a port in an earthquake-stricken city in southeast Turkey is raging for a second day.
Television images Tuesday showed thick black smoke rising from burning containers at Iskenderun Port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the city of Iskenderun. Reports said the fire was caused by containers that toppled over during the powerful earthquake that struck southeast Turkey on Monday.
01:30pm (BST): More than 3,000 dead in Turkey: Official
An official with Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has said at least 3,381 were confirmed dead, while 20,426 others were injured.
Orhan Tatar added that more than 5,700 buildings had also been destroyed, reports Al Jazeera.
12:00 pm (BST): Istanbul sends 13,000 rescue personnel to quake zone
Istanbul has dispatched about 13,000 rescue personnel to the earthquake zone early Tuesday morning, said Governor Ali Yerlikaya.
The team comprises staff and volunteers, and were sent particularly to the Hatay province.
Hatay has suffered devastating damage from Monday's earthquake - which also split the runway at Hatay Airport into two.
01:00pm (BST): Syrian opposition rescuer says hundreds still under rubble
Time is running out to save hundreds of families were still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings, the head of the Syrian opposition-run civil defence service has said, reports Reuters.
"Every second means saving lives and we call on all humanitarian organisations to give material aid and respond to this catastrophe urgently," Raed al-Saleh of the White Helmets told Reuters news agency.
11:10 am(BST): China to give Turkey $6m in emergency aid
China will give a first tranche of 40 million yuan ($5.9m) in emergency aid to help Turkey's relief efforts, state broadcaster CCTV has announced.
China's Red Cross will give emergency aid of $200,000 each to Turkey and Syria, it added.
11:00 am (BST): New strong quake reported in central Turkey
A new strong earthquake is now reported in central Turkey.
The US Geological Survey says a 5.5 magnitude tremor was at a depth of 10km (6 miles) near the town of Golbasi.
Meanwhile, the France-based European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) put the strength of the quake near Golbasi at 5.6, adding that it was at a depth of 2km.
Both agencies said the tremor happened at 03:13 GMT on Tuesday. They provided no further details.
South-eastern Turkey has been rocked by a series of aftershocks since the deadly earthquake near the city of Gaziantep on Monday morning.
10:50 am (BST): Turkey death toll rises to 2,921
The confirmed death toll in Turkey has now risen to 2,921, says the head of the country's disaster and emergencies agency.
Yunus Sezer adds that another 15,834 people have been injured.
10:40am (BST): Australia to give A$10m in aid
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said his government would provide an "initial" 10m Australian dollars ($6.94m; £5.76m) in aid, to go to humanitarian groups.
"Australia's assistance will target those in greatest need," he said, expressing his condolences to those affected.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who is visiting Australia, also announced his government would chip in 1.5m New Zealand dollars ($0.94m; £0.79m) in aid.
10:30am (BST): The latest from Turkey and Syria - key developments
- Night has fallen in Turkey and Syria - but a massive search and rescue operation continues across a vast area stretching from south-eastern Turkey to northern Syria
- The confirmed death toll in the two countries now stands at more than 3,500, but that's expected to rise. As many as 15,000 people have been injured
- Rescue teams from around the world are urgently being deployed to help find those still trapped under the rubble, as the next few hours will be critical for their survival
- A number of people whose apartments were destroyed are spending the night on the streets in nearly freezing temperatures. Some have gathered near campfires to keep warm
- Thousands of buildings have collapsed after the 7.8 magnitude quake near Gaziantep, Turkey, hit in the early hours of Monday while people were asleep
- A 7.5-magnitude tremor then hit nearby several hours later, causing further damage to a region that was already badly shaken
Aftershocks
The earthquake, which was followed by aftershocks, was the biggest recorded worldwide by the U.S. Geological Survey since one in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.
Another earthquake of 5.6 magnitude struck central Turkey on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said.
Monday's quake was the deadliest in Turkey since one of similar magnitude in 1999 that killed more than 17,000. Nearly 16,000 were reported injured in Monday's quake.
Poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit Turkish cities, homes to millions of people, hindered efforts to assess the impact and plan help.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, preparing for a tough election in May, called the quake a historic disaster and said authorities were doing all they could.
In the Turkish city of Iskenderun, rescuers climbed an enormous pile of debris that was once part of a state hospital's intensive care unit in search of survivors. Health workers did what they could to tend to the new rush of injured.
"We have a patient who was taken into surgery but we don't know what happened," said Tulin, a woman in her 30s, standing outside the hospital, wiping away tears and praying.
In Syria, the effects of the quake were compounded by the destruction of more than 11 years of civil war.
In the rebel-held northwest, the death toll stands at more than 740 people, according to the Syrian civil defence, a rescue service known for digging people from the rubble of government air strikes.
The civil defence said hundreds of families were trapped under the rubble and time was running out to save them.
A top UN humanitarian official in Syria said fuel shortages and the harsh weather were creating obstacles to its response.
"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people ... but we are working hard," UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters in an interview via video link from Damascus.
The Syrian health ministry said the death toll in government-held areas stood at 764 people.
Under a pile of rubble in the southern province of Hatay, a woman's voice could be heard calling for help. Nearby, the body of a small child lay lifeless.
Weeping in the rain, a local resident who gave his name as Deniz wrung his hands in despair.
"They're making noises but nobody is coming," he said. "We're devastated, we're devastated. My God... They're calling out. They're saying, 'Save us,' but we can't save them. How are we going to save them? There has been nobody since the morning."
Temperatures fell close to freezing overnight, worsening conditions for people trapped under rubble or left homeless.
In Kahramanmaras, north of Hatay, entire families gathered around fires and wrapped themselves in blankets to stay warm.
"We barely made it out of the house," said Neset Guler, huddled around the fire with his four children. "Our situation is a disaster. We are hungry, we are thirsty. It's miserable."
The earthquake, which was followed by a series of aftershocks, was the biggest recorded worldwide by the U.S. Geological Survey since a tremor in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021.
In Turkey, the death toll stood at 2,316, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, making it the country's deadliest earthquake since an earthquake of similar magnitude in 1999 that killed more than 17,000. More than 13,000 were reported injured in Monday's quake.
At least 1,444 people were killed in Syria and about 3,500 injured, according to figures from the Damascus government and rescue workers in the northwestern region controlled by insurgents.
Poor internet connections and damaged roads between some of the worst-hit cities in Turkey's south, homes to millions of people, hindered efforts to assess and address the impact.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, preparing for a tough election in May, called the quake a historic disaster and said authorities were doing all they could.
"Everyone is putting their heart and soul into efforts although the winter season, cold weather and the earthquake happening during the night makes things more difficult," he said. He said 45 countries had offered to help the search and rescue efforts.
In the Turkish city of Iskenderun, rescuers climbed an enormous pile of debris that was once part of a state hospital's intensive care unit in search of survivors. Health workers did what they could to tend to the new rush of injured patients.
"We have a patient who was taken into surgery but we don't know what happened," said Tulin, a woman in her 30s, standing outside the hospital, wiping away tears and praying.
In Syria, the effects of the quake were compounded by the destruction of more than 11 years of civil war.
A top UN humanitarian official said fuel shortages and the harsh winter weather were also creating obstacles to its response.
"The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people... but we are working hard," UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told Reuters in an interview via video link from Damascus.
In the government-controlled city of Aleppo, footage on Twitter showed two neighbouring buildings collapsing one after the other, filling streets with billowing dust.
Two residents of the city, which has been heavily damaged in the war, said the buildings had fallen in the hours after the quake, which was felt as far away as Cyprus and Lebanon.
Raed al-Saleh of the Syrian White Helmets, a rescue service in rebel-held territory known for pulling people from the ruins of buildings destroyed by air strikes, said they were in "a race against time to save the lives of those under the rubble."
