From Turkey (AFP)
Continuous coverage
As the death count claims more victims in Turkey and Syria as a result of the devastating earthquake that struck the two countries at dawn last Monday, the death toll rose to 11,709 today, Wednesday, while rescuers are still trying to find survivors stuck under the rubble.
In the latest death toll, officials and medical workers announced that 8,574 people died in Turkey, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 3,135 were killed in Syria, bringing the total death toll to 11,709. While the number of injuries reached 50,000 in Turkey, and 5,000 in Syria.
And the Turkish Disaster Management announced that 50,818 tents were set up to shelter families in the earthquake areas, while Turkish army planes transported a number of injured people in Adana and Malatya to Istanbul.
For his part, the Turkish Minister of Environment, Murat Qorum, announced that 684 aftershocks have occurred so far in the south of the country.
Families trapped under the rubble
While in northwestern Syria, the voices of many local organizations have recently risen, calling for help, especially in the absence of any large mechanisms and modern technical means to help search for survivors.
In the context, sources told Al-Arabiya / Al-Hadath that there is a severe shortage of medical supplies and shelters in Aleppo.
It also confirmed that many families are still stuck under the rubble in that city.
In addition, Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath reporter indicated that no relief aid has yet reached northern Syria.
“not ready”
For its part, the High Relief Committee in Syria said that the total death toll from the earthquake reached 1262 in the areas of the regime.
“We do not deny the difficulty of the situation in the country after the earthquake,” she added, pointing out that “our country is not prepared for such disasters. There is not enough equipment to remove the repercussions of the earthquake.”
7.8 degrees
This comes as rescue efforts continue in both countries in search of survivors under the rubble, despite the diminishing hope, the more time progresses in finding survivors.
It is noteworthy that the earthquake that struck southern Turkey, at dawn on Monday, had a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale, destroying thousands of buildings, and leaving thousands injured, homeless and dead.
While the World Health Organization announced that it expects the worst, and fears that “the outcome will be eight times higher than the first numbers” published.
