Live updates: Quake death toll nears 40,000 in Türkiye, 6,000 in Syria

Friday, February 17, 2023

International aid agencies are stepping up efforts to help thousands of homeless people, many sleeping in tents, mosques, schools or cars, 12 days after a massive earthquake hit Türkiye and Syria, killing nearly 45,500 in both countries. 

On the disaster's12th day, the death toll in Türkiye rose to 39,672, making it the deadliest disaster in the country in 100 years. 

The toll in Syria has reached 5,814, taking the combined death toll in both countries to nearly 45,486. 

Here is how you can help the earthquake victims.

Following are the latest updates:

0200 GMT — Argentine football to hold a minute's silence for quake victims

Argentina's Football Association [AFA] has announced the professional football across all formats in the country will hold a minute's silence for the victims of the natural disaster.

The gesture will come "prior to the start of the matches corresponding to next weekend."

The Turkish embassy in Buenos Aires thanked AFA for its "great gesture" in the difficult times.

Mexico hails dog who helped in Türkiye rescue efforts 

Mexicans have wholeheartedly thank Proteo, the deceased German shepherd dog that helped with search and rescue efforts in Türkiye.

Citizens have paid glowing tributes to Proteo with a large-scale graffiti which read "Thanks Proteo" with an image of the dog on a red background.

Mexicans said the dog will "live on in our hearts."

Türkiye's embassy thanks Panama for aid

Türkiye's embassy in Panama has thanked citizens, friends and the Sunni Muslim Religious Association of Panama for the quake-related aid.

The embassy confirmed the humanitarian aid is on way to Türkiye and thanked everyone for their contributions.

Venezuela rescue team returns from Türkiye

Venezuela's rescue team which undertook search and rescue operations in Adiyaman province, has returned to the South American capital Caracas.

Türkiye's embassy in Caracas said they "are wholeheartedly grateful to the 29 people and the three dogs that make up the team."

"We will never forget this show of solidarity from the Venezuelan brotherly nation."

Cuban medics undertaking vital healthcare work in affected areas 

Cuban medics are conducting vital work in the clinics of Elbistan district in the Kahramanmaras province.

The Cuban embassy in Türkiye said its doctors are continuing their "solidarity" work.

Reportedly, 32 Cuban doctors are in Türkiye while 27 are in Syria.

Türkiye to build 30,000 homes in quake-hit areas

Türkiye has said it will begin mass construction of homes next month for the survivors of twin earthquakes and the area for new settlements has been identified in all quake-hit provinces.

"Construction will be launched by March," Türkiye's Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change Murat Kurum said on Friday of the post-quake rebuilding process involving 30,000 homes to begin with.

Kurum said land for new constructions has been identified in provinces hit hard by February 6 quakes that left almost 40,000 people dead and toppled or damaged tens of thousands of buildings.

He said the new buildings "will not be higher than three to four floors" and will be planned "according to the local culture, tradition and customs."

👉 More here

2000 GMT — Türkiye's death toll rises above 39,000 

The death toll from powerful earthquakes that struck on Monday of last week has risen to 39,672 in Türkiye, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said.

Soylu also said some 82,000 buildings were either collapsed or severely damaged due to the earthquakes. 

Graveyards expand as Türkiye quake survivors bury loved ones

In the Turkish town of Pazarcik, a football pitch has been turned into a burial ground for people killed by the earthquakes, which struck almost 12 days ago. 

The goal posts are still standing but the field is dotted with about 100 dirt mounds and ditches. 

Each freshly dug grave is topped with a wooden plank marking the same date of death — February 6, 2023 — when this town was devastated by the deadliest earthquake in Türkiye’s modern history.

"We waited...for 10 days to get the bodies of the deceased from under the rubble," said Huseyin Akis, who was burying his niece along with her husband and two sons.

A red scarf had been wrapped around the wooden plank at a nearby grave. Pine branches had been scattered over another.

The scene in Pazarcik, epicentre of the quake that struck in the dead of night on February 6, captured the struggle facing people trying to find and bury their dead since the disaster, which has killed more than 45,000 in Türkiye and neighbouring Syria.

👉 More here 

1914 GMT - Turkish motorcyclist sells off signed helmet for $33,000 to help quake victims in country

Motorcycle racer Bahattin Sofuoglu sold off a signed helmet for $33,100 to help earthquake victims in his native Türkiye.

Sofuoglu, 19, said on Twitter that a Turkish man bought it at an auction, and the motorcyclist donated all proceeds from the sale to Türkiye's disaster agency AFAD.

MV Agusta Reparto Corse's Sofuoglu won the 2022 WorldSSP Challenge, a European title, with the helmet. 

Rescuers find new survivor nearly 12 days after Türkiye quakes

Turkish rescuers have pulled a 45-year-old man from rubble nearly 12 days after two devastating quakes claimed almost 40,000 lives in the country.

On Friday, the man, Hakan Yasinoglu, was rescued 278 hours after the first 7.7-magnitude tremor in badly hit Hatay, a southern province near the border with Syria.

Images on social media showed rescuers gingerly carrying a stretcher with the man through the ruins of a flattened building.

He was tied down to the stretcher to avoid a fall, and covered with a golden thermal jacket.

He was immediately placed in a waiting ambulance and whisked away.

👉 More here

1909 GMT - Scale of disaster in Türkiye 'greatest' that Mexican rescue team ever seen

A Mexican rescue team was surprised by the size of the tragedy in quake-hit Türkiye, saying the scale of last week’s disaster is the "greatest" they have ever seen.

Rafael Martinez Garcia, commander general of a volunteer Rotary Safety and Rescue Brigade, spoke to Anadolu at Hatay airport before boarding a return flight to his country with his team of 16 after spending eight days in the earthquake zone. 

Although his team is prepared for disaster psychology, which tries to understand the emotional situation of the people who lost everything, Martinez said: "What surprised us was the size of the tragedy. 

1902 GMT - German company sends over 1,000 generators to earthquake victims in Türkiye

A German machine manufacturer Scheppach GmbH has assisted earthquake victims in Türkiye by sending over 1,368 generators to the affected areas in the country's south.

The Turkish Consulate in Munich coordinated with the German company to send 12 diesel and 1,356 inverter generators, along with 160 large electric heaters, worth approximately €1 million from its warehouses in Germany.

Serdar Eraslan, the General Manager of Scheppach, said that as a Turk, he felt that it was his "duty" to help the earthquake victims in Türkiye.

1840 GMT - UK looking at options to further support Türkiye following quakes

The UK will continue to explore options for further support to Türkiye following last week’s devastating earthquakes, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.

"I am in regular contact with my counterpart and friend [Turkish] Defence Minister Hulusi Akar," he said in a statement, adding that the UK is committed to helping its close partner Türkiye, having deployed flights, medics, and aid to support recovery efforts. 

It also said the UK is leading NATO's response to the earthquakes, which killed or injured tens of thousands and left many in need, with three Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft helping to deliver NATO’s package of emergency support to Türkiye. 

1804 GMT - Turkish citizens of Armenian origin in quake-hit village ask for aid to be delivered to needier regions

Heartened by the help they have gotten since last week’s powerful earthquakes, a group of Turkish citizens of Armenian origin in Hatay, southern Türkiye are now asking that aid be diverted to areas of greater need.

Although luckily no lives were lost as a result of the last week's quakes, the village of Vakifli in the Samandag district, population 130, saw some 30 residents fled the region for Istanbul out of fear following aftershocks.

Berc Kartun, the administrative head of Vakifli, told Anadolu that locals experienced great fear after the Feb. 6 quakes and shied away from entering their homes due to follow-up shocks.

1706 GMT - Lebanon to send more humanitarian aid for quake victims in Türkiye

Lebanon will send a ton of humanitarian aid for the quake victims in southern Türkiye, the Turkish ambassador to Beirut said.

“Until now, we have had the opportunity to send half a ton of humanitarian aid to Adana (province). Today, we plan to deliver 1 ton of blankets, heaters, materials, and food in coordination with Turkish Airlines,” Ali Baris Ulusoy told Anadolu Agency.

Lebanon has sent three search and rescue teams to Türkiye so far, Ulusoy added. 

1518 GMT – US to continue providing aid to quake-hit Türkiye

US Ambassador to Ankara Jeffry Flake has said that his country will continue providing aid to the quake-hit regions in Türkiye. 

“The US government through USAID (US Agency for International Development) has announced an initial tranche of a grant of $85 million and more will be announced soon,” Flake said.

Underlining that they also contribute through the UN, he said the American Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Türkiye chamber, raised nearly $50 million.

“When I talk to my former colleagues in the United States Senate and the House, I remind them that over the years, Türkiye has responded on five continents in more than 50 countries to earthquakes and floods, and other natural disasters. So they paid it forward. And now it's our turn to pay back,” he said.

1501 GMT – EU foreign ministers to start meeting by remembering quake victims in Türkiye, Syria

The meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers will start on Monday by remembering the victims of the February 6 earthquakes and assessing the bloc’s support for Türkiye and Syria, Anadolu News Agency learned.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will begin the meeting "by making a reference to the terrible earthquake and the very difficult humanitarian situation in Türkiye and Syria,” a senior EU official told Brussels-based reporters.

1429 GMT – Somalia launches fundraising campaign for quake victims in Türkiye

Somalia’s recently established Committee for the Relief of the Earthquake Victims in Türkiye has launched a fundraising campaign in the capital Mogadishu.
The launching ceremony held in Horn of Africa nation’s capital Mogadishu was attended by senior government officials, religious scholars, businessmen and civil societies.
At the launching ceremony, Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said the goal is to raise $5 million in three days and announced that his government contributed $1 million to the quake relief campaign.
He said history will not forgive Somalia if it does not stand with our brotherly nation of Türkiye today, despite the difficulties Somalia is facing as a nation, including a drought and conflict.
Somali Interior Minister Ahmed Fiqi said Somalia has an opportunity to return some the countless support received from “our Turkish brothers and sisters”.
"It is a chance to show that Somalia does not forget her friend.”

1421 GMT – 'We still have hope,' brother of Ghanaian footballer missing after Türkiye quakes

Isaac Twasam has been hoping that his brother, Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu who went missing after the February 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye, is found alive.

Turkish Super Lig club Atakas Hatayspor's Atsu was in Hatay when the disaster struck, and his whereabouts are still unknown.

"We are still looking for Atsu. We still have hope ... we are hopeful he is alive," Twasam told Anadolu.

Twasam said he saw many survivors come out of the building, and hopes Atsu was also rescued from the rubble and is under treatment in some hospital.

"I want to appeal to the hospitals. We are working with disaster agency AFAD to place his pictures in all hospitals in Türkiye," Twasam said.

1410 GMT – Bangladeshis continue providing relief goods to people affected by quakes in Türkiye

Scores of Bangladeshis have come to the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) office in the capital Dhaka for the ninth day in a row with relief supplies for people affected by powerful twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye.

While traffic gridlocks during peak hours are normal in the megacity of nearly 20 million people, people were seen coming to the TIKA office even on bicycles and walking in with boxes.

"I rode my bicycle here in half an hour and handed over the donations that I collected from my friends, close relatives, and colleagues," Mahbub Uddin Ahmed, an herbal medicine practitioner, told Anadolu Agency.

1208 GMT – Russia continues humanitarian assistance to Türkiye

Russia continues providing humanitarian aid to quake-hit Türkiye, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova said "taking into account the scale of the natural disaster in the Republic of Türkiye, we will certainly continue to assist it in eliminating the consequences of the disaster."

"Currently, the relevant Russian agencies are working on the requests received from the Turkish side, including the supply of necessary equipment, materials, and the collection and dispatch of humanitarian supplies to those in need through certain Russian regions," she said.

1208 GMT – Kuwait continues to stand with Türkiye in earthquake disaster

Acting swiftly after the disaster, Kuwait has carried out humanitarian aid activities on the state level, and also through NGOs, charities, private companies and citizens.

More than $67 million was collected with donations from more than 129,000 people and the support of organizations within a program organized by the Kuwait Ministry of Social Affairs on February 11 with the theme "Kuwait is with you."

Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs and Social Development Mai al Baghli visited Gaziantep on February 14 with a military cargo plane carrying 40 tons of humanitarian aid materials to express her country's solidarity with Türkiye.

1126 GMT – FIFA Foundation to donate $1M in aid to Türkiye, Syria 

The FIFA Foundation, a social entity established by the international football governing body, has said it will donate $1 million in "emergency humanitarian aid" following the February 6 devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, which have claimed the lives of over 44,000 people in total.

"The aid will be used to purchase and distribute essential humanitarian items, as well as to provide emergency and temporary shelter and protection," it said in a statement on Thursday.

FIFA will continue to collaborate with the Turkish and Syrian football associations, "while monitoring the situation and deciding on further action."

1105 GMT – Azerbaijan establishes tent city in southern Türkiye

Azerbaijan established a tent city in Kahramanmaras province, the epicentre of the last week’s twin earthquakes, with volunteers offering hot meals to victims.

The tent city manager, Colonel Halig Huseynov, told Anadolu Agency that right after the earthquake they moved to the region with a 720-person search and rescue team upon the instruction of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Stating that they are in the region to reduce the effects of earthquakes, Huseynov said that they will continue to stay in Türkiye until everything returns to normal.

“We have established 760 tents so far and are continuing to do so. Tents are for six people and there is a wood stove and electricity connection. Beds and all necessary equipment will be given by our team. We’ll do whatever it takes to be there for our brothers and sisters,” said Huseyinov.

“When we came to the earthquake region, we were devastated by the things we heard from the victims. This is not only Türkiye’s problem, it’s also Azerbaijan’s,” he added.

0932 GMT – Tireless team from Libya saves lives in Türkiye's 'hour of suffering'

“We helped save at least seven people,” said Bashir Blaeed, who is leading the Libyan rescue team in Türkiye.

Blaeed led a team of 105 search and rescue and medical personnel from Libya that reached Türkiye just a day after last week’s catastrophic earthquakes.

“We are with the Turkish people in this hour of suffering,” he told Anadolu Agency via an interpreter in Adana before their flight back to Libya.

“This is a humanitarian mission for our Turkish brothers. We wish a speedy recovery to the wounded and mercy for the dead,” he added.

0840 GMT – Pakistan pledges to keep delivering tents for Türkiye quake victims

Pakistan's prime minister plans to meet with tent manufacturers in his country in order to provide more shelter to people in southern Türkiye, where millions have been displaced by last week's massive twin earthquakes.

Shehbaz Sharif, who is in Türkiye, told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview that when he returns to Pakistan, he will meet with manufacturers and ask them to produce winterised tents "as quickly as possible with the highest quality."

“And they will have to honour their commitments because our brothers and sisters in Türkiye are in dire need of tents,” Sharif pledged.

 “We hope that by the end of this month, we will be able to send something like 1,300 tons of relief goods,” he said, adding that “in March, another 1700 tons and in April, about 600 tons of relief goods to be sent, with the bulk of this being winterized tents."

0745 GMT – Over 171,000 people displaced in Syria – aid group

At least 171,843 people have been displaced in northwestern Syria by last week's earthquakes centred in southeastern Türkiye, according to a Syrian humanitarian organisation.

"The UN aid is still within the minimum limits, where only 114 trucks have reached in one week, 93% of which came through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, despite the opening of two additional crossings," the Syria Response Coordination said in a statement.

It added that an additional 24 international trucks were expected to enter through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salameh crossings.

The organisation spoke of "general dissatisfaction in the region with the delay in the arrival of humanitarian aid from the UN," noting that the UN aid "did not exceed 25% of the total aid that entered northwestern Syria."

'Turkish people are very resilient, will build back better': Indian rescue leader

Expressing condolences to the victims of earthquakes, the leader of the Indian search and rescue team said he hoped Türkiye will “build back better” the disaster-hit regions because Turkish people are very resilient.

Türkiye is passing through “very bad times but I am pretty much sure that this country will bounce back very soon and I am sure (Türkiye) will build back better the affected cities,” said Col.

Gurminder Singh, who led India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to Türkiye after two massive earthquakes hit the country on Feb. 06.

Singh said his three teams comprising 152 personnel were successful in saving two lives, two girls, 80 and 104 hours after the first earthquake hit Türkiye.

The NDRF teams, which flew into Türkiye on February 07, were deployed in Adana, Gaziantep, and Hatay while another group of 100 medics and para-medics from the Indian army is running a field hospital in Iskenderun city in southern Hatay province.

They are heading home tonight.

Acknowledging the environment of despair after the worst earthquakes to have hit Türkiye, Singh, however, said: “Turkish people are very resilient. It is a very resilient society.”

0740 GMT – Turkish people have track record to rebuild quickly: China's rescue team

Reminiscing about the "beautiful" reconstruction effort after the powerful 1999 earthquake in northwestern Türkiye, China's national rescue team leader said he believes Turkish people "will quickly build a nice society." 

"I personally went to the Izmit earthquake zone in 1999. I've seen it (damage) there, too. Then, I witnessed Türkiye's beautiful reconstruction works," said Zhou Ming, director general of China's Department of Earthquake and Geological Disaster Rescue on Thursday.

A 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the city of Izmit in northwestern Türkiye on August 17, 1999, causing over 17,000 deaths.

"That's why I think the Turkish people will quickly build a nice society after this earthquake," the Chinese disaster worker told Anadolu Agency as he was heading back to his home country after taking part in search and rescue efforts in the city of Antakya, hit particularly hard by February 6 massive tremours.

0715 GMT – Swiss rescuer lauds Türkiye quake victims' fortitude 

A Swiss rescuer who participated in search and rescue operations in quake-hit Türkiye said she cannot forget some of the touching moments there.

Monika Suter told the Swiss daily Tages-Anzeiger that during the mission, the memory of "the people still willing to share with us their last soup, out of gratitude" stayed in her mind.

Suter was part of an 87-member Swiss rescue team that was deployed in Türkiye's Kahramanmaras province, which was struck by two devastating earthquakes on February 6, along with 10 other provinces and northern Syria.

She said she was shocked after seeing the collapsed buildings in the cold.

"There was despair, but also hope. You cannot imagine that," she added.

👉 More here

2305 GMT — 2 men rescued from rubble 261 hours after quakes hit Türkiye

Two men aged 26 and 34 were rescued from the rubble in Türkiye’s Hatay province 261 hours two major earthquakes struck southern provinces in the country.

Search and rescue teams found Mehmet Ali Sakiroglu, 26, and Mustafa Avci, 34, alive under the rubble in Antakya district.

They were then taken to a hospital.

2258 GMT — World wrestling body launches campaign for earthquake victims in Türkiye, Syria

United World Wrestling (UWW) kicked off a campaign to raise money for the earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria.

"Major earthquakes hit southeast Türkiye and the northwest region of Syria on February 6, 2023. With the wrestling community also severely affected, United World Wrestling has set up a donation drive to support relief efforts for those impacted by the earthquakes," the UWW said in a statement.

It added that people can donate via PayPal or a bank account.

👉 More here

For our live updates from Thursday (February 16), click here