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Ankara [Turkey]Feb. 12 (ANI): The death toll from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier this week surpassed 25,000 on Saturday (local time), CNN reported.
In Turkey, the death toll has risen to 21,848, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Read also | Turkey earthquake: Missing Indian national found dead under rubble of Malatya hotel.
Speaking in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa on Saturday, Erdogan added that 80,104 people had been injured.
In Syria, the death toll totaled 3,553, including 2,166 in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the White Helmets civil defense group.
According to Syrian state media, 1,387 people have died in areas controlled by the Syrian government.
According to CNN, the total number of injured in all affected areas of Syria is 5,273, with 2,326 in government-held areas and 2,950 in rebel-held areas.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Turkish embassy in Ukraine on Saturday and remembered those who died in the devastating earthquake that claimed more than 25,000 lives.
“Please accept my sincere condolences both personally and on behalf of the people of Ukraine. We are deeply pained by the terrible tragedy that took so many lives in a single moment. We share the suffering of the people of Turkey and help in this difficult time. Eternal memory of the dead. We wish a speedy recovery to those who suffered,” Zelensky said.
During his visit, he also spoke with Yagmur Ahmet Guldere, Turkey’s ambassador to Ukraine.
Speaking on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s state emergency services were helping Turkey remove debris, according to CNN.
He added that the Ukrainian embassy was investigating information on Ukrainian nationals in Turkey who may have been affected by the quake.
The White Helmets volunteer group said the rescue operation in rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria had come to an end. A prolonged civil war has complicated rescue efforts there.
The Syrian government on Friday approved aid to the rebel-held area, but gave no specifics.
Workers in Turkey are still trying to pull survivors from the rubble — and there have been some harrowing success stories. But some groups suspended rescue efforts due to safety concerns on Saturday.
Jamie LeSueur, head of emergency operations for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said Turkey’s recovery after the devastating earthquake had now entered a “humanitarian phase”.
LeSueur told CNN from Gaziantep that the biggest needs of those affected in Turkey remain food, health and water as his team moves on from the search and rescue operation.
“We’re now in a humanitarian phase. It’s going to be a few months and we’re still trying to meet people’s basic needs,” LeSueur said.
The UN aid chief described this week’s devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria as the “worst event in 100 years” to hit the region.
The official, Martin Griffiths, spoke to reporters on Saturday during a visit to Kahramanmaras in Turkey.
“The reaction you’re seeing here, and the reaction your audience is seeing, is also unique,” Griffith added. “Never before have we seen a natural disaster here in these terrible days. International response, Turkey’s response to natural disasters.”
Meanwhile, Germany has also suspended rescue and relief efforts at the site of the deadly earthquake in Turkey due to safety concerns, following a similar move by Austria earlier Saturday, CNN reported.
Germany’s Federal Office for Technical Relief (THW) halted the rescue operation due to changes in the security situation in the Hatay region, the group said in a statement on Saturday.
It has been working with Germany’s International Search and Rescue Team (ISAR) and is coordinating with Turkey’s Agency for Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD).
“The security situation in the Hatay region has changed significantly in recent hours, with increasing reports of clashes between different groups, so the German ISAR and THW search and rescue teams will remain in the joint base camp for the time being.” . ISAR and THW will resume work as soon as AFAD deems it safe to do so,” the statement read.
The Austrian army also suspended its operations, citing security risks, CNN reported.
According to the Austrian Army Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU), the Austrian army has suspended rescue operations in Turkey due to the “increasingly difficult security situation”.
“The expected success in saving lives has no reasonable relationship to the security risk. There is increasing aggression among Turkish groups,” AFDRU’s Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Kugweiss said in a statement Saturday.
“We Austrians weren’t attacked. We’re all fine…the helpers were in a good mood considering the circumstances…we’d love to help, but that’s the way it is,” said Kug Weiss continued.
“Our rescue and recovery forces are at the ready. We are ready for further operations,” Kugweiss added, noting that plans to return to Austria on Thursday remained in place. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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