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☆ Resurfaced videos from 2019 shows Turkish president bragging about builders skirting earthquake construction codes in areas now turned to rubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Footage emerged of Turkey's president promoting a policy that weakened building standards, per local media. At least 70,000 buildings in areas where last week's earthquake struck used the policy, experts say. The videos of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are circulating widely in Turkey as the death toll from this month's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake surpassed 33,000 people. Ihlas News Agency via ReutersZoning peace is another name for the Turkish amnesty policy which, on payment of a fine, gives retroactive permits to structures built without planning permission, or not up to code. Estimates vary as to how many buildings in the earthquake zone had taken advantage of the amnesty policy.

[1/2] Rescuers and medics carry 8-year-old boy Arda Gul from the debris of a collapsed building following an earthquake in Elbistan, Kahramanmaras province, Turkey February 7, 2023. "His mother and sister are still under the rubble," a neighbour, Mustafa Bahcivan, said. He said he had returned to sift through rubble in the hope of finding intact phones that he might be able to sell. Up the street, four members of a family climbed another mound of rubble, trying to salvage belongings. A telecommunications engineer who had toured damage in the area said Elbistan was particularly hard hit.

☆ 'A crane, for God's sake': Inside the struggles of Turkey's earthquake response
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Many in Turkey say more people could have survived the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the south of the country and neighboring Syria a week ago if the emergency response had been faster and better organized. Two experts consulted by Reuters partly blamed the delays on the centralisation of emergency response under AFAD by President Tayyip Erdogan's government. U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths, speaking in Kahramanmaras on Saturday, called Turkey's disaster response "extraordinary" given the quake's historic size. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said he commissioned the report precisely to improve Turkey's disaster response. But they have generally seen the state's emergency response as effective.

8-year-old Ridvan Cakiroglu rescued by Israeli search and rescue team from rubble of collapsed building 116 hours after earthquakes, on February 10, 2023 in Turkey's Kahramanmaras. As the human death toll topped 28,000, the desperation mounted with each hour that passed for those who hoped to find their relatives alive in the rubble days after two earthquakes devastated Turkey and Syria. While local media reported more people had been pulled from the rubble Saturday, Martin Griffiths, the U.N. emergency relief coordinator, warned that the death toll was likely to rise. The first of Monday's devastating quakes struck Turkey and neighboring Syria in the early hours and registered at magnitude- 7.8. More than 3,500 have died in Syria, where death tolls have not been updated since Friday.

☆ Children among those pulled from destroyed buildings in Turkey's Hatay
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Turkish Health Ministry/ Handout via REUTERSFeb 12 (Reuters) - A father and daughter, a toddler and a 10-year-old girl were among survivors pulled from the ruins of collapsed buildings in the southern Turkish province of Hatay on Sunday. Video released by the Istanbul Municipality showed rescuers in Hatay pulling a 10-year-old girl through a hole in the floor of a damaged building before carrying her out on a stretcher. Also in Hatay, rescuers pulled a small child from the rubble of a collapsed building. In central Hatay, a man and his five-year-old daughter Emira were also recovered alive from a destroyed building. Video released by the Kocaeli Municipality on Sunday showed rescuers talking to Emira and her father while they were still trapped under debris.

☆ Children among those pulled from destroyed buildings in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Time was running out to reach trapped victims alive under the rubble, but emergency crews were still finding survivors on Sunday. Also in Hatay, rescuers pulled a small child from the rubble of a collapsed building. In central Hatay, a man and his five-year-old daughter Emira were also recovered alive from a destroyed building. Video released by the Kocaeli Municipality on Sunday showed rescuers talking to Emira and her father while they were still trapped under debris. CNN Turk showed rescue workers carrying her to an ambulance as she waved, strapped into a stretcher and wearing a neck brace.

☆ Turkey detains building contractors as quake death toll passes 33,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

A man reacts next to rescuers in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey February 11, 2023. The quakes were powerful, but victims, experts and people across Turkey are blaming bad construction for multiplying the devastation. Rescuers search for survivors, following the deadly earthquake in Hatay, Turkey, February 10, 2023. I did everything according to the rules," the DHA news agency reported. In leaked testimony published by Anadolu, the man said the building followed regulations and he did not know the building didn't withstand the quakes.

[1/6] Rescue workers try to rescue a 15-year-old girl trapped under the rubble, in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 10, 2023. The death toll exceeded 24,150 across southern Turkey and northwest Syria a day after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said authorities should have reacted faster to Monday's huge earthquake. Earlier, the World Food Programme said it was running out of stocks in rebel-held northwest Syria as the state of war complicated relief efforts. A similarly powerful earthquake in northwest Turkey in 1999 killed more than 17,000 killed in 1999. In the Samandag district of Turkey, rescuers crouched under concrete slabs and whispered "Inshallah" - "God willing" - as they carefully reached into the rubble and plucked out a 10-day-old newborn.

☆ UN aid chief says earthquake is region's 'worst event in 100 years'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 11 (Reuters) - UN aid chief Martin Griffiths described on Saturday the devastating earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northwestern Syria as the "worst event in 100 years in this region". Speaking during a news briefing in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, Griffiths also lauded Turkey's response to the disaster as "extraordinary". He also told Reuters he hoped in Syria aid would go to both government and opposition-held areas, but that things with this regard were "not clear yet". Reporting by Maya Gebeily; Writing by Hatem Maher Editing by Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence linking clouds to earthquakes, contrary to claims following Turkey-Syria quake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Experts contacted by Reuters dismissed claims shared online conflating the events that occurred weeks apart and emphasized that there is no evidence linking cloud formations to quakes. “Lenticular clouds form from a natural interaction of the air with mountains,” Mark Wysocki, senior lecturer in Cornell University’s Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department, told Reuters by email. A diagram illustrating this process provided by Wysocki is viewable (ibb.co/PmKM019)“And earthquakes form from the natural movement of the Earth’s crust. Experts contacted by Reuters say there is no evidence linking clouds to earthquakes. The science behind the formation of lens-like-shaped clouds, or lenticular clouds, has been documented.

[1/4] Survivors rest while a woman reacts at a hospital in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Kahramanmaras, Turkey February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem 1 2 3 4Authorities say some 6,500 buildings in Turkey collapsed and countless more were damaged. The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide $85 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to Turkey and Syria. SYRIA OVERWHELMEDIn Syria, relief efforts are complicated by a conflict that has partitioned the country and wrecked its infrastructure. The Syrian government views the delivery of aid to rebel-held areas from Turkey as a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

☆ Turkey earthquake drone footage shows fissures slicing through land
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TEVEKKELI/TEPEHAN, Turkey, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Drone footage in southern Turkey showed fissures slicing and cracking across fields, roads, streams and hillsides, caused by a massive earthquake that struck the region at the start of the week. One jagged scar of bare and cracked earth, opened up by Monday's quake, cut deep into embankments and ran along expanses of open land up to the horizon near the town of Tevekkeli, in Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras. Near the village of Tepehan, huge gorges cut through groves close to a house, leaving islands of grey-brown land and trees perched on the edge of new precipices. "With the initial panic, nobody knew whether we could leave home or whether we could survive. Reporting by Issam Abdallah and Antonio Denti; Writing by Ben Dangerfield and Andrew Heavens; Editing by Edmund BlairOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Death toll rises to more than 21,000, rescues dwindle in earthquake aftermath
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Ahmet Izgi | Anadolu Agency | Getty ImagesEmergency crews made a series of dramatic rescues in Turkey on Friday, pulling several people, some almost unscathed, from the rubble, four days after a catastrophic earthquake killed more than 21,000. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the border region between Turkey and Syria, an area home to more than 13.5 million people, early Monday morning. Mustafa Turan rushed to his hometown of Adiyaman from Istanbul hours after the quake struck to check on his relatives. Aerial footage from over the earthquake zone in Turkey revealed entire neighborhoods of high-rises reduced to twisted metal, pulverized concrete and exposed wires. A woman sits next to the body of her nephew in Kahramanmaras, on February 9, 2023, three days after a 7,8-magnitude earthquake struck southeast Turkey.

☆ Newborn, toddlers survive days in rubble, bringing joy amid earthquake tragedy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

His eyes wide open, Turkish baby Yagiz Ulas was wrapped in a shiny thermal blanket and carried to a field medical centre in Samandag, Hatay province, on Friday. Emergency workers also carried his mother, dazed and pale but conscious, on a stretcher, video images from Turkey's disaster agency showed. [1/3] A baby is rescued from the rubble in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Hatay Province, Turkey, February 8, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from a handout video. In freezing temperatures, they regularly called for silence as they listened for any sound of life from mangled concrete mounds. Like baby Yagiz, he was followed by his mother, on a stretcher, 103 hours after the earthquake struck.

A map of Turkey showing the city of Kahramanmaras in relation to the epicenter of the earthquake. A set of before and after images that show how a block in the downtown Kahramanmaras area was turned to rubble by the earthquake. For days, rescue teams and family members have been working through rubble of collapsed buildings throughout the city. Residential buildings Before Residential buildings After Google Maps Street View from November 2022; Adem Altan/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images from Feb. 7, 2023On many blocks, only a few buildings remain. A set of before and after images that show another block of residential buildings destroyed, leaving the Clarion Hotel Kahramanmaras standing alone.

☆ First aid convoy bound for NW Syria from Turkey nears border -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building, in the aftermath of an earthquake, in Latakia, Syria February 9, 2023. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File PhotoFeb 9 (Reuters) - The first convoy of humanitarian assistance for people in northwest Syria since Monday's devastating earthquake is en route to the southern Turkish border with the hope of crossing on Thursday, two aid sources told Reuters. A Turkish official said the Bab al-Hawa border crossing was open for humanitarian aid and authorities will open a few more crossings after two days if security is sound. The United Nations has described access to the opposition-controlled area of Syria through Bab al-Hawa as a "lifeline" for some 4 million people who it says rely on humanitarian assistance. U.N. aid from Turkey served 2.7 million people in northwest Syria per month last year compared with 43,500 people a month who received aid from routes within Syria since August 2021.

☆ Plight of homeless deepens as Turkey-Syria earthquake toll passes 17,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The death toll from Monday's quakes, which struck in the early morning, passed 17,000 on Thursday across both countries. It was the biggest natural disaster to strike the region since 1999, when a similarly powerful quake killed more than 17,000 people in Turkey. People, whose relatives are trapped under the rubble, react in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 8, 2023. An aerial view shows tents placed at a stadium in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake, in Kahramanmaras , Turkey, February 9, 2023. Syria overwhelmed In Syria, relief efforts are complicated by a conflict that has partitioned the country and wrecked its infrastructure.

☆ 19,000 dead: 'Disaster of the Century' as thousands are still missing in Turkey and Syria's horrific earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey has killed 19,000 people with thousands more still missing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We can call it the disaster of the century." And thousands are reportedly still missing under rubble and collapsed buildings. In a brief press conference Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "We can call it the disaster of the century" and said the devastation spans 10 provinces. Rescuers and civilians look for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, Turkey.

President Tayyip Erdogan's government has blocked social media in the past and focused in recent months on fighting what it calls "disinformation", which it said prompted the block on Wednesday. Erdogan's ruling party had said a law was needed to tackle false accusations on social media, and it would not silence opposition. A Reuters investigation last summer showed how the mainstream media has become a tight chain of command of government-approved headlines, while the smaller independent and opposition media face the brunt of regulatory penalties. The Twitter block also drew an angry response from opposition DEVA party leader Ali Babacan, a former economy minister and Erdogan ally. The pro-Kurdish HDP party said Twitter had played a crucial role in organizing aid for those affected by the quakes and that blocking social media would only cause more death.

☆ Turkey's devastating earthquake comes at a critical time for the country's future
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

One major emerging markets guru, Mark Mobius of Mobius Capital Partners LLP, remains bullish despite the earthquake disaster and economic problems. "When it comes to investing in Turkey, we still believe it's a viable place to invest," Mobius said. Mobius did note the glaring issue of Turkey's earthquake preparation, which may soon come to haunt Erdogan's election chances. NATO and Turkey's powerful role on the global stageInternationally, Turkey's future affects the war in Ukraine, given Erdogan's role as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday.

☆ Taliban administration to send earthquake aid to Turkey, Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People look on as the search for survivors continues in the aftermath of an earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Suhaib SalemKABUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban administration will send around $165,000 in aid to Turkey and Syria to help the response to a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck this week, according to a foreign ministry statement. The Taliban took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, sparking enforcement of sanctions on its banking sector, and no capital has formally recognised its government. Many aid groups have partially suspended operations due to a Taliban administration ruling that most female NGO workers could not work, leaving agencies unable to operate many programmes in the conservative country. Western diplomats have said they will not consider formally recognising the administration unless it changes course on women's rights.

☆ Crews find survivors, many dead after Turkey, Syria earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Search and rescue operations continue in Sanliurfa, one of 10 provinces hard-hit by a 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude quakes in Turkey on Feb. 7, 2023. A few hours later, rescuers pulled 10-year-old Betul Edis from the rubble of her home in the city of Adiyaman. In Syria, the shaking toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by the country's 12-year civil war and refugee crisis. The affected area in Syria is divided between government-controlled territory and the country's last opposition-held enclave, where millions rely on humanitarian aid. Earthquakes hit Turkey on Monday, flattening buildings and killing thousands.

Summary After initial quiet, opposition criticism growsComplaints of slow response, lack of suppliesErdogan visits scene, acknowledges early problemsISTANBUL, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Criticism of Turkey's earthquake response mounted on Wednesday, with the political opposition and people in the disaster zone accusing the government of a tardy and inadequate relief effort. They cracked infrastructure and flattened thousands of buildings, causing hardship for millions and leaving many homeless in bitterly cold weather. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition party, had earlier in the week said the disaster was a time for unity, not criticism. Speaking in Kahramanmaras, near the epicentre of the earthquake, Erdogan said: "We had some problems in airports and roads but we are better today". Selim Temurci, spokesman for the opposition Future Party, said AFAD's efforts were insufficient due to personnel shortages and the vast expanse of destruction.

☆ Amid rows of bodies, Turks check for relatives one by one after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ANTAKYA/KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Turks stepped over hundreds of bodies in stadiums and parking lots on Wednesday, carefully lifting blankets from their faces to try to identify dead relatives after a once-in-a-generation earthquake devastated the region. "My wife doesn't speak Turkish, and I can't see very well," said the husband, who did not give a name. One woman who could not find her sister yelled: "My God, look how we are, we will be thankful if we find dead bodies of our people." To the north in Kahramanmaras, near the earthquake epicentre, at least another 100 bodies were assembled on the floor of an athletics stadium, where residents sought to identify them. Along the red-padded wall and underneath rows of empty spectator seating, three smaller bodies were wrapped in sheets on child-sized stretchers.

[1/9] Rescuers work at the site of a damaged building in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 8, 2023. said Melek, 64, in the southern city of Antakya, adding that she had not seen any rescue teams. With the scale of the disaster becoming ever more apparent, the death toll - now 6,234 in Turkey - looks likely to keep on rising. In neighbouring Syria, already devastated by 11 years of war, the death toll climbed to more than 2,500 overnight, according to the Syrian government and a rescue service operating in the rebel-held northwest. The initial quake struck just after 4 a.m. on Monday, the dead of night in the dead of winter, giving the sleeping population little chance to react.

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