Ankara/Beirut (EFE)
In Syria, so far, another 592 deaths and more than 1,400 injuries have been reported.
This earthquake, according to Erdogan, is the second strongest that has shaken the country in the last century, and because rescue work is underway, he did not want to give a total number of possible victims.
“It is the second strongest since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. According to the latest assessments it is 7.7. There is serious damage also in neighboring areas of Syria,” said the Turkish president.
The low temperatures and the snow in the area, where there are also mountainous territories that are difficult to access, complicate the rescue tasks in the more than 2,800 homes that have suffered collapses or serious damage. However, according to Erdogan, 2,470 people have been rescued alive from the rubble.
The shock roused thousands of people on both sides of the border out of bed at 1:17 GMT, with the quake toppling buildings over a vast area of hundreds of kilometers, from southeastern Turkey to northern Syria.
Strong tremors were also felt in Lebanon, including Beirut.
The epicenter of the earthquake has been registered in Pazarcik in the province of Kahramanmaras, according to the Turkish emergency service Afad, although the Kandilli seismic observatory locates it in Sofalici, in the neighboring province of Gaziantep, some 40 kilometers further south.
Earthquake hits one of Syria’s most war-torn areas
In Syria, engulfed in civil war for more than a decade, the affected area is divided between government-controlled territory and the last opposition-controlled enclave of the country, which is surrounded by Russian-backed government forces.
There, the earthquake has left at least 592 dead and 1,508 injured, mostly in areas controlled by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, where 371 deaths and 1,089 injuries have been recorded so far, according to the latest count offered by the SANA official news agency.
Separately, in the northwestern province of Idlib, the country’s last opposition stronghold, and in parts of neighboring Aleppo that are also beyond Damascus’ control, another 221 people have been killed and more than 419 injured, according to reports. the White Helmets rescue group.
These opposition areas border Turkey and are closer to the epicenter, so the difference in the balance could be due to their lesser ability to coordinate the count as there is no single government authority in charge of rescue operations.
The Syrian government has ordered the implementation of a “national emergency plan” to deal with the consequences of the earthquake.
During a meeting led by the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, the Council of Ministers ordered the establishment of an operations center based in Damascus to coordinate the response to the disaster and mobilize “all” the health, Civil Defense and security teams. firefighters.
The United Nations office in Syria has stated, for its part, that it is working to coordinate assistance in all areas “within its reach” within the affected provinces.
The international community mobilizes
Italy even declared a tsunami alert for the southern coasts of the country, but it was lifted shortly after and rail traffic resumed in the regions of Sicily, Calabria and Apulia, where it had been suspended this morning.
The Italian Government has been one of the first to express its solidarity for the tragedy, but not the only one.
Neighboring Georgia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan. Israel or Russia have been some of the countries that have already offered their help.
For its part, the European Commission is coordinating the dispatch of rescue teams from Member States to join the efforts of local authorities in the search for survivors.
Thirteen countries of the European Union (EU) have already offered search and rescue teams to assist in the rescue efforts being carried out in Turkey.
“Europe’s support is already on the way and we are prepared to continue helping in any way we can,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in a message on her official Twitter account.
The High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the EU, Josep Borrell, has also indicated that the bloc is “ready to help” the affected countries and has sent his “deep condolences to the many families who have lost lives and the wish for a recovery quick to the wounded.”
Brussels has reported the rapid mobilization of ten urban search and rescue teams from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania to support first responders on the ground.
Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Malta and Slovakia have also offered rescue teams.
The EU Emergency Response Coordination Center is in direct contact with the Turkish authorities to coordinate further support if necessary.
