World
Turkey-Syria Earthquake: Death toll crosses 5,000
Turkish authorities say the death toll from the earthquakes centred in southeastern Turkey rose to 3,419, bringing the total number of killed, including those in northern Syria, to more than 5,000.
According to Reuters, initial magnitude 7.8 tremor early on Monday brought down buildings as people slept and was followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hours later amid several aftershocks.
The United States Geological Survey said the initial earthquake was centred about 33km (20 miles) from Gaziantep, a major Turkish city and provincial capital.
Dozens of countries from around the world have promised help in search and rescue operations that are being hampered by cold and snow
Rescuers crowd flights from Istanbul to Turkey’s south
Adana, Turkey – Our flight this morning from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen airport to the southern city of Adana was delayed due to heavy snowfall and air traffic, as rescuers continued to attempt to travel to Turkey’s hard-hit southeast.
The flight, along with Adana’s Sakirpasa airport, was filled with volunteers and journalists.
Though earlier reports on social media indicated that international rescue teams were being made to wait at the airport for several hours, they were not spotted around the terminal just after noon.
Erdogan declares state of emergency in 10 Turkish cities
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 cities in the country after Monday’s devastating earthquakes and aftershocks.
He added that the death toll in Turkey had risen to 3,549, adding that the 10 cities would be declared as part of an earthquake disaster zone.
Who all have stepped in to help?
Dozens of countries and organisations have offered to assist rescue efforts in Turkey and Syria after earthquakes and several aftershocks killed more than 5,000 people.
Qatar to send 10,000 mobile homes to Turkey and Syria
Qatar is sending 10,000 mobile homes to earthquake-affected areas in Turkey and Syria, as well as 120 rescue workers, a field hospital and humanitarian assistance, Al Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker has reported.
“We are on an aircraft that is due to depart to Turkey. It is a large C-130, with crew that will be part of setting up those mobile homes,” she added from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
“There is a medical team on board, rescue members are on board as well. They are trying to get things for survivors, there is onboard equipment as well. We will be flying to one of the airports in the southeast that is currently closed, in efforts to try to get as much of this aid as possible [to people].
Contact: info@royalnews.com.ng
