The death toll from the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has exceeded 41,000, while efforts are continuing to rescue survivors from under the rubble for the tenth day in a row, and the United Nations is launching a humanitarian appeal to provide relief to those affected.
According to the latest statistics in Turkey, the number of deaths has risen to 35,418, while 13,208 wounded are receiving hospital treatment.
The death toll in Syria reached 5,814, and the injured reached 7,396, most of them from northern Syria.
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the specialized teams have completed dealing with 15,000 destroyed buildings out of 19,000 in the earthquake zones.
47,000 buildings, comprising 211,000 housing units, were classified as “collapsed,” “for urgent demolition,” or “severely damaged,” in the states affected by the earthquake, according to the Turkish president.
According to the Turkish president, 250,000 government employees are participating in efforts to combat the effects of the earthquake, pointing out that 28,000 Turkish soldiers are performing their duties in the affected areas.
He stressed that the government will begin in early March to build 30,000 housing units for those affected by the earthquake.
The volume of donations that reached the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Department from inside and outside the country amounted to 8.3 billion liras (about 436 million dollars), which will be spent entirely on the earthquake areas.
In northern Syria, the Civil Defense team continues to search under the rubble and open closed roads.
The Syrian Civil Defense documented the collapse of more than 550 buildings, while more than 1,570 buildings were partially damaged.
In terms of delivering humanitarian aid, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, had agreed to open two additional border crossings between Turkey and the northwest of the country to bring in humanitarian aid for those affected by the earthquake.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a conversation with Guterres regarding the “urgent need” to facilitate the delivery of aid to Syria, according to US State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Blinken stressed the need for the Syrian government to fulfill its commitment to open the Bab al-Salama and al-Rai border crossings for humanitarian purposes, through a Security Council mandate, if necessary.
An expanded resolution, Price said, would give the United Nations and humanitarian actors the flexibility and capacity they need to more effectively deliver aid to those in need in Syria.
International appeal for relief for the affected
The Secretary-General of the United Nations announced the launch of a humanitarian appeal to raise $397 million to help those affected by the earthquake in Syria. The appeal will cover humanitarian needs for a period of 3 months, according to the UN news website.
Speaking to reporters, Guterres said the United Nations is preparing to make a similar appeal to Turkey. He pointed out that the UN organization hastened, immediately after the devastating earthquake that struck the two countries, to allocate $50 million for relief efforts through the Central Emergency Response Fund.
He said the needs are enormous, and the response efforts in Syria involve the entire UN system and its humanitarian partners, and are helping to secure much-needed and life-saving relief, including shelter, health care, food and protection, for some 5 million Syrians.
Guterres added that the most effective way to stand with people right now is to provide emergency funding.
He noted that the disaster was one of the largest in recent memory. He added that millions are struggling to survive a week after the devastating earthquakes, and they are homeless living in freezing temperatures.
And he sent an urgent message to the international community, in which he said: “The human suffering caused by this massive natural disaster should not be exacerbated by man-made obstacles such as difficult humanitarian access and lack of funding and supplies. Aid must pass from all sides to all sides through all roads without any problems.” restrictions.”
He urged United Nations member states and all parties to fully fund relief efforts without delay, and to help the millions of children, women and men whose lives have been turned upside down by the earthquake disaster.
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