The US government is increasing earthquake aid for Turkey and Syria by a further 100 million US dollars (around 93 million euros). This was stated by US Secretary of State Blinken, who was visiting Turkey on Sunday.
The US has now pledged a total of $185 million. Blinken explained that the aid should go to the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. The money will be used to buy relief supplies such as medicine, blankets, mattresses, tents and warm clothing. In addition, the supply of clean water and sanitary facilities, but also education for children, should be guaranteed.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey about two weeks after the devastating earthquake in the Syrian-Turkish border region.
It is Blinken’s first visit to Turkey since taking office a good two years ago. US military aircraft are stationed at Incirlik NATO Airport. After the earthquake, they transported first aiders to the affected areas in Turkey.
Other search and rescue teams from the USA also came to Turkey via Incirlik. US helicopters also helped get into hard-to-reach areas. Tons of relief supplies from the federal government also came to Turkey via Incirlik.
Hundreds of children unaccompanied in the earthquake area
Twelve days ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 shook southeast Turkey, followed hours later by a second severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6. According to the authorities, a good 264,000 apartments were destroyed in Turkey alone.
The number of confirmed deaths in Turkey and Syria is still rising – so far almost 47,000 deaths have been counted. Tens of thousands were also injured, millions are affected by the effects of the violent tremors.
According to the Turkish civil protection agency Afad, more than 40,000 rescuers from home and abroad are still on duty to rescue people who have been buried. Numerous people are still missing.
According to the government, more than 600 children in the Turkish part of the region are still unaccompanied after the devastating earthquakes in the Turkish-Syrian border area. The Office of the President announced that 953 children who were previously also unaccompanied have now been reunited with their families (as of Saturday, 6:20 p.m.). According to the information, information about the identities of 247 children is still missing.
People rescued after almost 300 hours
Although the probability of rescuing people alive is decreasing, the helpers do not give up. According to a media report, emergency services rescued three people from the rubble of a collapsed residential building in the city of Antakya after 296 hours.
A child was also among those buried, the state broadcaster TRT reported on Saturday. However, the 12-year-old child did not survive despite medical treatment, the state news agency Anadolu said. TRT’s report has not been independently verified. According to Anadolu, the three people were a man, a woman and their child.
A video showed how the helpers brought a man and a woman to an ambulance on a stretcher and medics treated the child. Humans can typically survive about 72 hours without water. According to medics, those buried under the debris who are still being rescued must have found some type of water supply in the rubble.
Turkish football club mourns deceased professional
For the missing football professional Christian Atsu, however, any help came too late. Despite reports to the contrary in the meantime, he was found dead on Saturday. Turkish media had meanwhile reported that the footballer had been rescued.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Christian Atsu,” the Turkish Football Association wrote on Twitter on Saturday. The Ghanaian died under a high-rise building in the city of Hatay, which was particularly hard hit by the tremors.
“We will not forget you, Atsu,” wrote his club Hatayspor on Twitter. The footballer is said to be taken to his home country of Ghana and buried there. “There are no words to describe our sadness.”
The football professional once played for FC Porto and became champion and Portuguese Super Cup winner with the club.
Chancellor Scholz promises further help
In Germany, the dismay about the earthquake disaster is still great. Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured the victims in Turkey and Syria of Germany’s solidarity.
“We cannot undo the catastrophe. But we can help in times of need. And Germany is helping,” said the SPD politician in a video message with Turkish and Arabic subtitles. “As friends we share your pain and as friends we will not leave you alone in times of need.”
He also thanked all helpers from Germany. “In a very short time you have built a bridge of compassion, a bridge of solidarity between our countries, which are so closely connected.” Around three million citizens of Germany came from Turkey, including from the badly damaged provinces of Hatay and Gaziantep . Many more have roots in Syria.
Worried about Hezbollah’s earthquake aid
However, some aid that is now arriving in the earthquake area is also controversial: deliveries from the Lebanese Hezbollah, for example. According to the Shiite militia, they wanted to send 29 trucks with blankets, heaters and powdered milk to Aleppo on Saturday. Hezbollah fighters have been instrumental in keeping the Syrian government in power during the Syrian war.
For Hezbollah supporter Hussein Ahmed from Beirut, supporting the earthquake victims in Syria is a matter of course, he says. According to the 18-year-old, many Lebanese “who have fought alongside Syrian government forces in recent years have rushed to Syria to help with rescue operations.”
“They are our brothers in war and in natural disasters,” says Um Aihum, a Syrian who lost her home in Latakia to the severe earthquakes. Latakia is under government control.
Syria’s opposition is critical of the militia’s help. He assumes that Hezbollah will use the moment to smuggle more fighters, weapons and drugs into the crisis-ridden neighboring country, said the spokesman for an opposition alliance at the dpa.
Hezbollah is trying to profit from the plight of the people. Leaders of the militia have long been involved in the lucrative drug trade in Syria and, according to experts, make a lot of money from it, as does the Syrian government.
IS uses Chaos to attack
The IS is also using the earthquake to its advantage: while the public is distracted, the terrorist organization is carrying out serious attacks in Syria. IS assassins first attacked a government checkpoint in Al-Suchna in eastern Syria on Friday evening, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Finally, they are said to have “randomly” shot machine guns at civilians who were looking for truffles in a field. At least 68 people died, according to the information.
A few days earlier, IS extremists had kidnapped around 75 truffle collectors in the region and killed 16 of them. According to the activists, dozens of people are still missing. (dpa/Reuters)
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