The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria rose to 35,000 this Monday (13). With little chance of finding survivors, efforts are now focused on helping the hundreds of thousands of people who have been left homeless.
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Though it’s getting harder and harder, rescue teams still manage to pull survivors out of the rubble. A 13yearold boy was rescued in Hatay province yesterday, 182 hours after the earthquake, according to Turkish newspapers.
The rescue of little Kaan, broadcast live on Halk TV, is one of those that continue to take place among the thousands of collapsed buildings, among which some experts estimate as many as 155,000 bodies may still exist. Four hours earlier, a 70yearold woman and a 26yearold girl were rescued alive after being detained for 178 hours in Antakya, the capital of Hatay province.
In Adiyaman province, a 6yearold girl was also rescued after 176 hours in the rubble. According to experts, the low temperatures, which have been close to zero in recent days, could favor survival by delaying dehydration.
Most of the rescue operations of the last two days, which the Turkish press calls “miraculous”, took place in Hatay, one of the hardest hit areas as it is located on a geological fault despite the distance to the epicenter.
The tally makes the disaster the fifth deadliest since the beginning of the 21st century. In Syria, the death toll has been stable for days, largely due to reduced rescue efforts, suggesting that the total number of casualties should increase.
The United Nations denounces the failure to send aid to Syria, a country already devastated by war for more than a decade. At a behindcloseddoors meeting of the Security Council convened by Switzerland and Brazil, UN Emergency Director Martin Griffiths, who was in the Syrian city of Aleppo yesterday, presented an assessment of the situation.
homeless
In the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras, near the epicenter, 30,000 tents have been set up, 48,000 people live in schools and another 11,500 in sports centers.
Antakya, the Turkish city known in ancient times as Antioch, was devastated and the earthquake destroyed the country’s oldest mosque. “It was a precious place for us Turks and Muslims. People used to come here before making pilgrimages to Mecca,” said Havva Pamukcu.
Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sunday the 12th that 108,000 buildings in the earthquake area were damaged, 1.2 million people are housed in student dormitories and 400,000 have been evacuated from the area.
Financial damage from the disaster could exceed $84 billion (Reais 435 billion), business association Turkonfed estimated yesterday. Anger is growing in Turkey at the poor build quality and the government’s response. (WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES)
The information comes from the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.