The latest on the deadly Turkey-Syria earthquake

By Rhea Mogul, Sana Noor Haq and Ed Upright, CNN

Updated 7:51 a.m. ET, February 8, 2023

What we’re covering

• More than 11,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on Monday, according to officials.
• Thousands of buildings collapsed in both countries and aid agencies are particularly worried about northwestern Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.
• Freezing weather conditions are further endangering survivors and complicating rescue efforts, as more than 100 aftershocks have struck the region.
• The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province.
• How you can help: Donate to victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria here.

CNN Underscored

Editors’ picks: The 34 best products we tried and loved in January

​​Dead Space is the definitive remake of a horror classic — and a must-play for new and old fans alike

GO DEEPER

Before and after satellite images bring earthquake destruction in Turkish towns into full view

By Paul P. Murphy, CNN; photo editing by Laura Oliverio

Some Syrian towns ‘completely wiped out’ by earthquake, says aid worker

Hopes wither amid bitter cold as rescuers race to find earthquake survivors in Turkey

By Zeena Saifi and Becky Anderson, CNN

Hear doctor in Syria describe situation after deadly earthquake

GO DEEPER

Before and after satellite images bring earthquake destruction in Turkish towns into full view

By Paul P. Murphy, CNN; photo editing by Laura Oliverio

Some Syrian towns ‘completely wiped out’ by earthquake, says aid worker

Hopes wither amid bitter cold as rescuers race to find earthquake survivors in Turkey

By Zeena Saifi and Becky Anderson, CNN

Hear doctor in Syria describe situation after deadly earthquake

• All
• Catch Up
• Syria
• Turkey

28 Posts

SORT BYLatestOldest2 min ago

Turkey has set up scores of field hospitals across 10 provinces

From CNN’s Hande Atay Alam 

The Turkish government has established 77 field hospitals in 10 provinces that were hit by the earthquake Monday, as freezing weather conditions hamper rescue efforts across Turkey and Syria.

“We can also perform surgical operations in some of these hospitals where emergency health services are provided,” Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted Wednesday.

“Our earthquake victims with risky health conditions are transferred to the hospitals in the region by helicopters after the first response,” he added. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting areas heavily struck by the deadly quake, having declared a three-month state of emergency in the 10 provinces on Tuesday.3 min ago

“It’s a horrible situation but it also gives hope”: An Istanbul aid center is sending basics to the disaster zone

From CNN’s Joseph Ataman

Organized chaos is the order of the day at this Istanbul aid collection and distribution center.

A CNN team saw volunteers darting in and out of the alleys of boxes and household goods in the Topbaş Performance and Art Center in the Yenikapi district of Turkey’s biggest city, where wheelbarrows were stacked high with nappies and cakes.

Everything from toilet paper to excavators have been channeled through the center after it transformed into a donations hub two days ago, hours after the earthquake rocked southern Turkey and northwest Syria on Monday. Contributions have poured in from major firms and individuals alike, with a focus on the essentials of survival: food, water and clothing. 

The disaster zone is at the other end of Turkey from Istanbul, but the urgency at the center here is palpable.

Snow is beginning to settle on the car park outside, where 53 cargo trucks have departed for the southern Hatay province since Monday. Regular arrivals of families bring in portable heaters, carpets and even baby strollers, the everyday essentials of life ripped away from their compatriots by the earthquake.

The neon jackets of the council workers glint among the masses of some 2,000 volunteers crowding the tables, where volunteers process donations from across the city. 

“It’s a horrible situation but it also gives hope,” Esra Huri Bulduk, a city council aid coordinator, told CNN.

“The volunteers are working so hard,” she said of the locals staffing the center, which is running 24/7.

“We have seen mothers bringing baby food they bought for their child, to donate,” Bulduk added.

Families told us, ‘how can they only feed their own child whilst other children are not fed?’ (The) people of Istanbul are ready to show solidarity and help one another.”

Smaller trucks ferry goods in and out of the three cavernous hangers that make up the exhibition center; some 5,000 sets of clothes for men, women and children have been shipped out, alongside nearly 3,000 hygiene kits and 10,000 food packets.

Three excavators, 90 generators and 26 pieces of construction machinery have also been shipped out for the 12-hour drive to the disaster zone. 38 min ago

Turkey aims to rebuild Kahramanmaras “in one year,” Erdogan says

From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce and Hande Atay Alam

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government’s target is to rebuild the southern region of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of Monday’s deadly earthquake, “in one year.”

“We can never let our citizens stay on the streets,” Erdogan said Wednesday while speaking from an emergency relief area set up by the country’s disaster management agency. 

“Our state is using all its resources with AFAD (Turkey’s disaster management agency) and municipalities. We will continue to do so.”

The president said the government is planning to give 10,000 Turkish liras (around $531 USD) to help families impacted by the quake, and has organized hotels for citizens to stay in, if they want to. 

Erdogan also acknowledged the government “had some problems” clearing blocked roads and providing natural gas to cities and aid workers, which prevented rescuers from reaching collapsed buildings in order to retrieve survivors.

However, he said the situation is now “under control.” “We are in better place today, will be even better tomorrow,” Erdogan added.

A cold weather blast across Turkey and Syria has complicated the search for survivors, as freezing temperatures are increasing the risk of hypothermia for those stuck underneath the rubble.1 hr 42 min ago

Erdogan visits emergency relief site near quake epicenter 

From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived at an emergency relief area in the southern city of Kahramanmaras near the epicenter of Monday’s powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake. 

Tents have been set up at the site by the country’s disaster management agency, AFAD,

Erdogan landed in the region earlier Wednesday ahead of his trip to areas heavily impacted by the disaster, as rescue teams search for survivors amid freezing weather conditions.

The Turkish leader is expected to then visit the town of Pazarcık — which suffered major damage following the quake — state-run news agency Anadolu said. Erdogan is scheduled to visit the province of Hatay later.

He declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces Tuesday.1 hr 50 min ago

Survivors getting “desperate” as freezing weather and political crisis set back Syria aid efforts

From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq

A combination of freezing weather and destroyed infrastructure is hampering rescue efforts in northwestern Syria, as aid workers struggle to access victims of the powerful earthquake amid conflict and political crisis there, a top charity official has told CNN.

“It is a difficult area for humanitarians, but over the years … we’ve learned to steer away on political issues and focus on humanitarian assistance,” Johan Mooij, the Syria Response director for World Vision, told CNN’s Bianca Nobilo.

World Vision has staff stationed inside Syria to ease access to disaster-stricken regions, Mooij said.

Rescuers from the charity are working to provide shelter to survivors who have lost their homes. The loss of electricity lines, water and sewer systems have compounded the affects of the earthquake, Mooij added.

The region was already struggling to restore key infrastructure heavily damaged by continual aerial bombardment during the country’s civil war, which the United Nations estimates to have claimed 300,000 lives since 2011.

The cold weather conditions in Turkey and Syria are also hampering aid efforts on both sides of the border, putting the lives of those trapped underneath the rubble, who have already gone days without food and water, at risk of hypothermia.

It’s very cold and rainy and it snows now and then. It is a terrible situation indeed,” Mooij added.

“This area was affected by so many disasters already in the last couple of years. And we talk about the war, we talk about displacement, Covid. There’s been quite a bit cholera. And now, this. 

“People feel they are getting pretty desperate, and see no way out.”1 hr 52 min ago

Earthquake death toll surpasses 11,000 in Turkey and Syria

From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce and Mostafa Salem

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria has reached at least 11,104, according to authorities.

In Turkey, the death toll has risen to at least 8,574, with nearly 50,000 others reported injured, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a televised briefing Wednesday, during a visit to disaster areas near the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake. 

In Syria, at least 2,530 people have been reported killed across the government-controlled areas and rebel-held regions, officials said.

Aid agencies and emergency workers say the death toll is likely to increase further with many people still trapped under the rubble, and freezing weather conditions hampering rescue efforts.1 hr 41 min ago

Erdogan lands in disaster areas, including near quake epicenter

From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has landed in the southern province of Kahramanmaraş in Turkey ahead of his trip to areas heavily impacted by Monday’s deadly earthquake, as the country reels from the deadly disaster.

Erdogan is expected to stop by an emergency relief area with tents during his visit to Kahramanmaraş city center and then go to the town of Pazarcık — which suffered major damage following the quake — state-run news agency Anadolu said.

He is scheduled to visit the province of Hatay later.

The Turkish leader on Tuesday declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces, as freezing weather conditions hamper rescue efforts.4 hr 26 min ago

Syrian diplomat says Western sanctions are stopping aid from reaching quake victims

From CNN’s Allegra Goodwin, Dalya Al Masri and Celine Alkhaldi

Sanctions against Syria from the United States and European Union are preventing urgent aid from reaching those in need following the devastating earthquake, the country’s representative to the United Nations said Tuesday.

“Lots of the airplanes, cargo airplanes, refuse to land on Syrian airports, because of the American and European sanctions,” Bassam Sabbagh, Permanent Representative of Syria to the UN said in New York.
“So even those countries who want to send humanitarian assistance… they cannot use the airplane cargo because of the sanctions.”

Bassam added that search and rescue efforts were being impeded by the lack of aid, saying: “Of course the lack of equipment, the lack of capabilities in the government, it’s there, because of the situation and because of the sanctions.”

He appealed for all UN member countries to help.

“All Syria need this assistance, so whenever and whatever we receive, it will be for all Syrians,” he said.

Some context: Most of the casualties in Syria have been reported in the northwest of the country, predominantly in the cities of Aleppo, Hama, Latakia and Tartus, according to the state news agency, SANA.

This region was already struggling to rebuild vital infrastructure heavily damaged by continual aerial bombardment during the country’s civil war, which the UN estimates to have claimed 300,000 lives since 2011.

Half of northwestern Syria’s 4.6 million population have been forced out of their homes by the conflict, with 1.7 million now living in tents and refugee camps in the region, according to the UN children’s agency, UNICEF. Last year, the agency reported that 3.3 million Syrians in the area were food insecure.

Several parts of northwestern Syria, including Idlib, are still controlled by anti-government rebels.4 hr 24 min ago

“We are racing with time”: Rescue workers and survivors face freezing conditions in Turkey and Syria

Rescue efforts are growing “harder” due to bitterly cold weather in Turkey and Syria, experts warned, while workers have not been able to access all the disaster areas — raising fears for many trapped under rubble

A cold and wet weather system moving through the region has seen temperatures plummet below freezing, jeopardizing the search for survivors on both sides of the border.

“It’s the cold but also the time passing… When it is cold, it affects the rescue efforts even more,” Oxfam’s spokesperson in Turkey, Meryem Aslan, told CNN’s John Vause.
“On top of the weather, there are still areas where people are trying to dig by their hands. Rescue teams have not been able to reach everywhere yet. It’s extremely, extremely difficult. We are racing with time.”

Cold weather ahead: Temperatures are already bitterly low, but are forecast to fall several degrees below zero on Wednesday.

Central Turkey is at its “coldest point” for this time of the year, CNN’s senior meteorologist Britley Ritz said.

Meanwhile, in Aleppo, Syria, temperatures are expected to stay at zero or below.

Scattered showers and snow in the region are expected to continue, putting the lives of those trapped underneath the rubble, who have already gone days without food and water, at risk of hypothermia.

more https://edition.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/turkey-syria-earthquake-updates-2-8-23-intl/index.html