The earthquake crisis in Turkiye and Syria has escalated to catastrophic levels as the death toll has now surpassed 15,000. Despite the efforts of rescue teams, the survivors of the devastating earthquake are facing a daunting reality of homelessness and hunger in the freezing winter weather.
President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkiye, who is set to contest an election in May, visited the disaster zone on Wednesday, February 8 and reassured the public that normal operations were underway and that no one would be left homeless. Despite the President’s promises, many Turks have expressed frustration and anger over the slow response from the rescue teams, who are also facing a shortage of equipment and expertise as per reports from Reuters.
The confirmed death toll in Turkiye alone has risen to 12,391, according to the Disaster Management Authority, and is expected to rise as hundreds of collapsed buildings in various cities have become tombs for people who were asleep when the quake struck. In the city of Antakya, dozens of bodies, both covered and uncovered, have been lined up outside a hospital, leaving many in the disaster zone to spend the night in their cars or in the streets, afraid to return to their shaken buildings.
In Syria, the death toll has climbed to at least 2,950, with millions affected as far south as Hama, 250 km from the epicentre. The country’s ambassador to the United Nations admitted that the government has a “lack of capabilities and lack of equipment” due to the civil war and Western sanctions. The delivery of United Nations humanitarian aid via Turkiye to millions of people in northwest Syria is expected to resume on Thursday, after being halted by the earthquake.
The situation in the disaster zone is dire, with Melek, a 64-year-old resident, expressing concern over the lack of rescue teams and stating that “we survived the earthquake, but we will die here due to hunger or cold.”
The earthquake has not only taken lives but also left many homeless, with over 298,000 people reported to be without a home and 180 shelters for the displaced having been opened. However, the relief efforts in Syria are complicated by the ongoing conflict, which has partitioned the nation and devastated its infrastructure.
