After a devastating earthquake ripped across Turkey and Syria, leaving devastation and wreckage on both sides of the border, more than 7,266 people have died in Turkey, and rescuers are frantically trying to extricate survivors from beneath the rubble.
On Monday at around four in the morning, one of the region’s strongest earthquakes in a century shook residents from their beds and caused tremors to be felt as far away as Lebanon and Israel.According to Yunus Sezer, Turkey’s director of disaster services, at least 2,921 people were killed, and more than 15,800 others were injured in Turkey.
There have been at least 1,451 fatalities in adjacent Syria. Seven hundred eleven individuals have been killed in government-controlled areas, predominantly in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.
The “White Helmets” organisation, commonly known as Syria Civil Defense, reported 740 fatalities in areas controlled by the opposition. During a violent civil conflict in 2011, anti-government forces held a large portion of northwest Syria, which borders Turkey.
Turkey’s strongest earthquake since 1999
The region of Turkey in which it is located is seismically active. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the nation on Monday is the most severe since 1999.
A strong magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Marmara, a heavily populated area south of Istanbul, the central city in Turkey, in August 1999 and lasted 45 seconds. The official death toll reached 17,500 in a few days.
According to reports, a baby was saved from the rubble in Syria
Following Monday’s enormous earthquake, a baby girl has been rescued from the ruins of her home in northern Syria.When she was discovered, her umbilical cord was still connected to her mother; a relative said Agence France-Presse. It’s thought that her mother passed away soon after giving birth.
According to cousin Khalil al-Suwadi, “We heard a voice while we were digging” on Tuesday. After clearing the debris, we discovered the infant with an attached umbilical cord. We cut it, and my cousin brought the infant to the hospital.
In the town of Afrin, a children’s hospital is now caring for the girl. She arrived with bruises, lacerations, and hypothermia but is stable, according to paediatrician Hani Maarouf, who spoke to the AFP.According to Suwadi, the infant is the only member of her immediate family to have survived. The earthquake destroyed the five-story apartment complex where they resided.
Battling for survival
Being rescued from the wreckage does not ensure survival. Families in Kahramanmaras, close to the epicentre of Monday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake, were compelled to spend the night outside in the bitter cold due to shaky buildings.
23 million people may be impacted
The enormous earthquake could have impacted the 23 million people who pleaded with other countries to immediately send aid to the devastated area.
As President Bashar al-regime Assad continues to be shunned in the West, hindering international relief efforts, the Syrian Red Crescent pleaded with Western nations to waive sanctions and offer aid.
On Monday, Washington and the European Commission claimed that the humanitarian initiatives they backed were in response to the devastation in Syria.UNESCO, the cultural arm of the UN, also declared that it was prepared to help after two of its World Heritage-listed sites in Turkey and Syria suffered damage.
