Turkey, Syria Earthquake Live Updates: Rescuers find more alive in Turkey on 8th day of earthquake

Syrian man and girl rescued from rubble in Antakya 208 hours after quake

A 65-year-old Syrian man and a young girl were rescued from the rubble of a building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, 208 hours after a devastating earthquake struck the region, Reuters television showed.

Death toll in Turkey's earthquake rises to 35,418

UN appeals for nearly $400 mn for Syria quake victims

The United Nations launched an appeal for $397 million on Tuesday to help earthquake victims in Syria, where the disaster has killed thousands of people and left millions more in desperate need of aid. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, announcing the appeal at the UN headquarters in New York, said the funds would bring "life-saving relief" for nearly five million Syrians and would cover a period of three months.

Nearly 9 million Syrians affected by last week's earthquake: UN

Nearly 9 million people in Syria were affected by last weeks' devastating earthquake that hit both Syria and Turkey, the United Nations said in a statement on Tuesday as it launched a $400 million funding appeal to help the situation there. "Humanitarian agencies will need $397.6 million to respond to the most pressing humanitarian needs over the next three months.", the statement added.

Six pulled from the rubble as survivors leave Turkey quake zone

Six survivors were rescued from the rubble in Turkey on Tuesday, eight days after a devastating earthquake, as the focus shifts to helping those who survived find shelter, food or a haven elsewhere.

Earthquake drone footage shows depth of destruction in Turkish town

Drone footage in the southern Turkish city of Kahramanmaras showed the devastation caused by the earthquake, collapsing dozens of buildings and forcing hundreds of families to live in tents erected in a stadium in freezing temperatures.Empty buildings with their walls ripped open showed the power of the earthquake last week that devastated the city, close to the epicentre of the tremor that struck southern Turkey and Syria.Two images, taken in 2020 and again after the earthquake, highlighted the trail of destruction in the city, with many houses turned to rubble. However, some apartment blocks survived with apparently minor damage, such as cracked walls.

Struggle to get aid to Turkey and Syria after massive quake

Aid agencies and governments stepped up a scramble Tuesday to send help to parts of Turkey and Syria devastated by an earthquake, but a week after the disaster many complained they still were struggling to meet basic needs, like finding shelter from the bitter cold. The situation was particularly desperate in Syria, where a 12-year civil war has complicated relief efforts and meant days of wrangling over how to even move aid into the country, let alone distribute it. Some people there who lost their homes said they have received nothing. In Turkey, meanwhile, several families crowded into tents meant for just one.

A woman rescued from rubble in Turkey 203 hours after quake

A woman was rescued from the rubble of a building in the southern Turkish city of Hatay on Tuesday, some 203 hours after a devastating earthquake struck the region, Turkish media reported. Earlier reports said the rescued person was a man, but later state broadcaster TRT reported a woman was pulled out from under the rubble in the city.

Survivors leave earthquake zone in Turkey, focus turns to homelessSurvivors leave earthquake zone in Turkey, focus turns to homeless

Survivors joined a mass exodus from earthquake-hit zones in Turkey on Tuesday, some leaving their homes with little hope of coming back or seeing loved ones pulled away from the rubble, at a time when some of the rescue operations are pulling out. The disaster, with a combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria now exceeding 37,000, has devastated whole cities in both countries, leaving survivors homeless in the bitter cold, at times sleeping on piles of rubble.

More than 7 mn children affected by Turkey-Syria quake: UN

More than seven million children have been affected by the massive earthquake and a major aftershock that devastated Turkey and Syria last week, the United Nations said Tuesday, voicing fear that "many thousands" more had died. "In Turkey, the total number of children living in the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes was 4.6 million children. In Syria, 2.5 million children are affected," James Elder, spokesman for the UN children's agency Unicef, told reporters in Geneva.

WHO says Turkey quake Europe's worst natural disaster in 'a century'

Earthquake death toll in Turkey rises to 31,974: Disaster management authority

Turkey to suspend some gold imports

Turkey will suspend some gold imports as part of an emergency plan to mitigate the economic fallout from two earthquakes that hit the country's southern region last week, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing an official with direct knowledge of the matter.

Rescuers on Tuesday were working to reach people under the rubble in three provinces hit hard by the devastating quakes that hit Turkey and Syria last Monday. The death toll from the magnitude 7.8 and 7.5 quakes that struck nine hours apart on Feb. 6 in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria passed 35,000, and was certain to increase as search teams find more bodies.

Turkish authorities to announce steps to lessen earthquake's market impact

Turkish authorities are taking steps to protect financial markets from the impact of the massive earthquake that hit southern Turkey last week, two sources said on Tuesday. "Regulations have been prepared to lessen the impact of the earthquake on markets. Announcements will be made on Tuesday or Wednesday," an official familiar with the issue said.

Over 13 million affected across 10 provinces in Turkey

The quakes affected over 13 million people affected across 10 provinces including Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye and Sanliurfa.

Turkish President names new-born of earthquake victim

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has named the new-born of a quake victim at a hospital in Istanbul.On Monday, during his visit to hospital to meet survivors of the devastating quake, Erdogan was requested by the tragedy victim to name her new-born, after which he named the baby Ayse Betul, Anadolu News Agency reported.

Saudi aid plane lands in Syria’s government-held areas

A Saudi aid plane landed in Syria’s Aleppo International Airport on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, in the first reported arrival of aid from the kingdom to government-held areas.Saudi Arabia state TV said a plane had left for Aleppo carrying more than 35 tonnes of aid.

Two people rescued in Turkey nearly 198 hours after earthquake

Two more men were rescued alive from the rubble of an apartment block in Turkey's Kahramanmaras province on Tuesday, nearly 198 hours after last week's devastating earthquake, broadcaster CNN Turk said. It showed rescue workers carrying the two people, strapped onto stretchers, to waiting ambulances.

During a mission last week in the city of Nurdagi, the NDRF team had "solid inputs" that a survivor was stuck under the debris. The Labrador duo of Romeo and Julie sniffed their way through the debris and barked, at which the teams brought in the machinery and started drilling. After toiling for hours, they reached two trapped girls

Russian military personnel removing the rubble of destroyed buildings in Syria

Russia says more than 300 troops helping Syria recover from earthquake

More than 300 Russian servicemen and 60 units of special military equipment are helping Syria in its response to a devastating earthquake that struck more than a week ago, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday.

Turkey not to accept more refugees from Syria after earthquakes: Foreign minister

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Turkey will not accept more refugees from Syria after the earthquakes, denying claims that Syrians were flooding into the country following the deadly quakes.Claims that there is a new influx of refugees from Syria to Turkey "are not true". "We will not allow that. It is out of the question," Cavusoglu said at a joint news conference with his Libyan counterpart Nejla al-Mangush in the capital Ankara, Xinhua news agency reported.

Brazil and Switzerland, which oversee Syria cross-border issues in the UNSC, asked for 'quick implementation' of the agreement to open the crossings

Syria's UN Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh confirmed Syria would support the delivery of humanitarian aid through all possible points from inside Syria or across the border for three months.

He told reporters a council resolution was not needed because it was an agreement between Syria and the United Nations.

The earthquake has killed more than 37,000 people so far

Assad agreed to open the crossings of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra'ee

Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, has agreed to the opening of two additional border crossings from Turkey into opposition-held territory in northwest Syria to allow the United Nations to deliver humanitarian relief to millions of earthquake victims, U.N. and Syrian officials said Monday.

Some 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the epicenter, almost no houses were left standing in the Turkish village of Polat, where residents salvaged refrigerators, washing machines and other goods from wrecked homes.

The quake's financial damage in Turkey alone was estimated at $84.1 billion, according to the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation, a non-governmental business organization. Calculated using a statistical comparison with a similarly devastating 1999 quake, the figure was considerably higher than any official estimates so far.

The desperate search for earthquake survivors in Turkey and Syria entered its final hours Monday as rescuers using sniffer dogs and thermal cameras surveyed pulverized apartment blocks for any sign of life a week after the disaster. In some areas, searchers placed signs that read “ses yok,” or “no sound,” in front of buildings they had inspected for any sign that someone was alive inside, HaberTurk television reported. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, reducing huge swaths of towns and cities to mountains of broken concrete and twisted metal. The death toll has surpassed 35,000. (AP)

The NDRF’s four-member canine squad has been invaluable for its missions in Turkey as rescue teams work their way through alien topography and thick layers of concrete rubble in freezing temperatures. During a mission last week in the city of Nurdagi, which is near the epicentre of the 7. 8-magnitude earthquake that rocked the region on February 6, burying thousands of people under the rubble of houses that collapsed, the NDRF team had “solid inputs” that a survivor was stuck under the debris. Enter Romeo and Julie. The Labrador duo sniffed their way through the debris and barked, at which the teams brought in the machinery and started drilling. After toiling for hours, they reached Baren. The six-year-old girl was breathing.

Major Beena Tiwari, 28, whose photograph went viral three days ago after it was posted by the Indian Army on its Twitter handle from a parafield hospital in quake-hit Turkiye, is a third-generation soldier from Dehradun. Her father Mohan Chandra Tiwari, 56, retired as a Subedar Major in the Kumaon Regiment while her grandfather Khilanand Tiwari, 84, retired as a Subedar having served the same regiment. Tiwari is part of the 99-member medical team which left for Turkiye on February 7 to contribute in relief and rescue work under thegovernment of India’s “Operation Dost” initiative. Maj Tiwari’s mother, Janki, said that they are able to speak to her just for a “few minutes a day”.

Syria's UN ambassador Bassam Sabbagh confirmed Syria would support the delivery of humanitarian aid through all possible points from inside Syria or across the border for three months. He told reporters a council resolution was not needed because it was an agreement between Syria and the United Nations.

The move comes a week after an earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 37,000 people. Assad's agreement means the United Nations could now use a total of three border crossings from Turkey to reach the northwest of war-torn Syria.

"As the toll of the February 6 earthquake continues to mount, delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency," said Guterres. "Opening these crossing points - along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs - will allow more aid to go in, faster," he added.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to allow UN aid deliveries to opposition-held northwest Syria through two additional border crossings from Turkey for three months, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday. Assad agreed to open the crossings of Bab Al-Salam and Al Ra'ee, Guterres said in a statement after UN aid chief Martin Griffiths met with the Syrian president in Damascus on Monday. Griffiths told the UN Security Council of Assad's decision during a closed-door meeting, diplomats earlier told Reuters.

Turkey earthquake survivors seek hot meals as rescues wane

Thousands left homeless by a massive earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria a week ago packed into crowded tents or lined up in the streets Monday for hot meals as the desperate search for survivors entered its last hours. Rescue teams that included Turkish coal miners and experts using sniffer dogs and thermal cameras searched pulverized apartment blocks for signs of life. In southern Hatay province, rescuers cheered and clapped as a 13-year-old boy identified only by his first name, Kaan, was pulled from the rubble. Stories of near-miraculous rescues have flooded the airwaves in recent days, including many that were broadcast live on Turkish television and beamed around the world. But tens of thousands of dead have been found during the same period. Experts say the window for such rescues has nearly closed, given the length of time that has passed, the fact that temperatures have fallen to minus 6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) and the severity of the building collapses. (AP)

Sudan sends aid flight to quake-hit Syria

Sudan has sent a flight carrying 30 tonnes of aid to quake-hit Syria, with army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan calling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to offer support, officials said Monday. The supplies sent to Damascus, containing "30 tonnes of food, medical supplies, blankets and other materials", followed a similar delivery of aid to Turkey on Friday, the foreign ministry in Khartoum said.

Young girl rescued from rubble in Turkey 183 hours after quake

A 10-year-old girl was rescued from the rubble of an apartment block in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on Monday, 183 hours after a devastating earthquake shook the region, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

Teenager rescued from rubble in Turkey 182 hours after quake

Rescuers pulled an alive 13-year-old out from under the rubble of a collapsed building in Turkey's southern Hatay province on Monday, Reuters footage showed, more than a week after a devastating earthquake struck.The teenager held a rescuer's hand as he was placed on a stretcher, head braced, and covered for warmth, before he was moved into an ambulance. With hopes of finding many more survivors in the rubble fast fading, the combined death toll in Turkey and neighbouring Syria from last Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake rose above 35,000 and looked set to keep increasing.

Earthquake could cost Turkey up to $84 billion

Turkey's worst earthquake in almost a century has left a trail of destruction that could cost Ankara up to $84.1 billion, a business group said, while a government official put the figure at more than $50 billion. The combined death toll in Turkey and Syria from last Monday's 7.8 magnitude quake approached 36,000 and looked set to rise, as the focus of the response switched from rescuing survivors trapped under the rubble to providing shelter, food and psychosocial care. A report published at the weekend by the Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation put the cost of the damage at $84.1 billion - $70.8 billion from the repair of thousands of homes, $10.4 billion from loss of national income and $2.9 billion from loss of working days.

Quake stalls election campaign of Turkey's splintered opposition

Turkey's splintered political opposition was supposed to agree Monday on a joint candidate to challenge Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 20-year grip on power at the ballot box. But a catastrophic earthquake, which has killed more than 35,000 people in Turkey and Syria, has postponed the meeting and thrown the timing of May elections into doubt. Ruling and opposition party sources now feverishly speculate that Erdogan will delay the May 14 presidential and parliamentary polls in the wake of Turkey's worst disaster of modern times.

UN aid chief: quake rescue phase 'coming to a close'

The phase of the rescue after the major earthquake struck Turkey and Syria a week ago is "coming to a close" with urgency now switching to shelter, food, schooling and psychosocial care, the UN aid chief said during a visit to Syria on Monday. The February 6 earthquake struck a swathe of northwest Syria, a region partitioned by the 11-year-long war, including insurgent-held territory at the Turkish border and government areas controlled by President Bashar al-Assad. Griffiths said the United Nations would have aid moving from government-held regions to the rebel-held northwest, a front line across which aid has seldom passed during the conflict.

This is for the first time that NDRF dogs, women's team have also come along with all the equipment on an international rescue operation. In one such instance, we found a victim alive after 104 hours: Gurminder, Commanding officer, NDRF

Death toll rises above 35,000 in Turkey, Syria quake

The death toll from a catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria climbed above 35,000 on Monday, with search and rescue teams starting to wind down their work. Officials and medics said 31,643 people had died in Turkey and 3,581 in Syria from last Monday's 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 35,224.

A week after the quakes hit, many people were still without shelter in the streets. Some survivors were still waiting in front of collapsed buildings for the bodies of their loved ones to be retrieved.

As more rescued, quake survivors in Turkey ask what's next

Thousands who survived the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria a week ago are pondering what comes next. While many have been evacuated from the devastated region, others are staying by wrecked homes and as the search for missing loved ones continues.