Tens of thousands of people die, an entire region lies in ruins. A week after the tragic earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the World Health Organization takes stock. It is the worst environmental disaster to hit the region in a century.
The European office of the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for comprehensive help for the many earthquake victims in the Turkish-Syrian border area. WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge described the quake as the worst natural disaster in the region in a century. The need for help is huge and growing by the hour, he said at an online press conference. Around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria need humanitarian assistance. “Now is the time for the international community to show the same generosity that Turkey has shown to other nations around the world over the years,” he said. The country is home to the largest refugee population in the world.
Despite dwindling hope, the search for survivors continued on the eighth day after the earthquake. According to media reports, four people were rescued alive under the rubble in southeastern Turkey. In the province of Kahramanmaras, helpers rescued two 17 and 21-year-old brothers in the morning, the state news agency Anadolu and the broadcaster CNN Türk reported. They were therefore 198 hours under the rubble. In the province of Adiyaman, an 18-year-old who was also buried for 198 hours was rescued. According to Anadolu, in Hatay province, a 26-year-old woman was rescued alive after 201 hours under the rubble, and a 35-year-old woman after 205 hours. The information could not be checked independently.
“We are witnessing the worst natural disaster in the WHO region of Europe in a century,” WHO Director Kluge said of the earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people. The full extent and the true costs are still not clear. Addressing those affected, he emphasized: “Your suffering is immense, your grief runs deep. The WHO is at your side in the hour of need – and always – at your side.”
An estimated one million people have lost their homes in Turkey, and around 80,000 are in hospitals, according to the authorities. This puts a great strain on the health system – which itself was severely damaged by the disaster.
Kluge called on all stakeholders from the government and civil society to work together to ensure the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid between Turkey and Syria, as well as within Syria. The WHO counts a total of more than 50 countries in its Europe region. In addition to the EU, these also include numerous countries to the east of it, such as Turkey, and several Central Asian countries.
According to diplomats, President Bashar al-Assad wants to open two more border crossings to Turkey to improve humanitarian aid in Syria. Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra’ee should be open for three months, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Monday, according to several diplomats. Griffiths is currently in Syria and met Assad on Monday. Early Monday morning a week ago, a first earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 shook southeast Turkey at 2.17 a.m. (CET), followed hours later by a second severe earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6. The number of confirmed dead was more than 37,500 in Turkey and Syria as of Tuesday morning, and more than 80,000 people were injured. Thousands continue to be missing.
