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[1/7] Destroyed buildings are seen at night in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 19, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim ShemetovSummary Rescue work winds down in TurkeyPregnant women need helpTurkey death toll risesANTAKYA, Turkey, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Turkey stepped up work to clear away rubble from collapsed buildings on Monday, as rescue work wound down two weeks after major earthquakes killed more than 46,000 people in southern Turkey and northwest Syria. The women include 226,000 in Turkey and 130,000 in Syria, about 38,800 of whom will deliver in the next month. In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday announced further aid to Turkey and said the United States would provide longer term help to Turkey Ankara as it seeks to rebuild following this month's earthquake.

☆ U.S. will back quake-hit Turkey "as long as it takes", Blinken says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walks to board a plane at Incirlik Air Base near Adana, Turkey February 19, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne/PoolANKARA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - The United States will support Turkey "for as long as it takes" after its devastating earthquakes, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, while his Turkish counterpart said there was no need to wait for a disaster to improve ties. "The United States and Turkey do not agree on every issue but it is a partnership that has withstood against challenges," Blinken told a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. Total U.S. humanitarian assistance to support the earthquake response in Turkey and Syria has reached $185 million, the U.S. State Department has said. Standing alongside Blinken, Cavusoglu said it was not possible for Turkey to purchase F-16 warplanes with pre-conditions and that he believed the issue can be overcome if the U.S. administration maintains a decisive stance.

☆ Syria's White Helmets are famous for rescuing people from bombed buildings. When the earthquake struck, they knew what to do.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Syria's White Helmets have been searching for survivors and corpses following the earthquake. And after over a decade of civil war, the volunteer White Helmets group, which gained international prominence for their work rescuing people from bombed buildings, was well-prepared to quickly respond to the earthquake. While aid has now started to arrive in northwest Syria, Alabdullah said that the delays likely cost countless lives. 'The White Helmets are no strangers to digging people out of the rubble'The White Helmets have received widespread praise for their work during the civil war, even being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2016. "The White Helmets are no strangers to digging people out of the rubble," he said.

☆ Earthquake Aid Flows Increase Into Northwest Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Sune Engel Rasmussen | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Syrians affected by the deadly earthquake and aftershocks this month wait to re-enter Syria via a crossing from Turkey. REYHANLI, Turkey—Aid flows into northwest Syria have increased since deadly earthquakes devastated a swath of the country and disrupted lifesaving assistance to millions of people in an area that has been under a crippling siege for years. Nearly 200 trucks of United Nations aid have crossed the Turkish border into northwestern Syria since operations resumed on Feb. 9, after a pause caused by road destruction and the impact of the quakes on humanitarian staff.

☆ WFP boss criticises northwestern Syrian authorities for slowing quake aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( John Irish | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Emirates Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent distribute boxes of humanitarian aid in response to a deadly earthquake in Jableh, Syria, February 17, 2023. REUTERS/Amr AlfikyMUNICH, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The head of the World Food Programme (WFP) on Saturday pressured authorities in northwestern Syria to stop blocking access to the area as it seeks to help hundreds of thousands of people ravaged by earthquakes. "The problems we are running into is the cross-line operations into northwest Syria where the northwestern Syrian authorities are not giving us the access we need," Beasley told Reuters. Our operation is about $50 million a month for our earthquake response alone so unless Europe wants a new wave of refugees, we need get the support we need," Beasley said. I will call them out and will not be silent about this," Beasley said, referring to the authorities in northwestern Syria.

☆ Earthquake death toll passes 46,000 amid desperation for signs of life
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The mother and father survived but the child died later of dehydration, the rescue team said. When we find people who are alive we are always happy," Atay Osmanov, a member of the rescue team, told Reuters. As rescue efforts continued one worker yelled into the rubble: "Take a deep breath if you can hear my voice." The death toll in Turkey stands at 40,642 from the quake while neighboring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths, a toll that has not changed for days. In Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest.

☆ After devastating quake, thousands of Syrians return home to war zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Khalil Ashawi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I haven't seen my family for four years, as I live alone in Turkey," Qramo said after crossing into Syria. Qramo, who had been living in the city of Gaziantep, said people were staying in tents in the cold and rain. In Gaziantep, Qramo said police had moved Syrians out of a mosque where they were sheltering to make way for Turkish families. Several Turks in other quake-hit towns and cities have accused Syrians of robbing damaged shops and homes. The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck before dawn 11 days ago, killing more than 38,000 people in Turkey and 5,800 in Syria.

The quake killed at least 36,187 in southern Turkey, while authorities in neighbouring Syria have reported 5,800 deaths - a figure that has changed little in days. While several people were found alive in Turkey on Wednesday, the number of rescues has dwindled significantly. Neither Turkey nor Syria have said how many people are still missing. More than 4,000 fatalities have been reported in the rebel-held northwest, but rescuers say nobody has been found alive there since Feb. 9. Deliveries from Turkey were severed completely in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, when a route used by the United Nations was temporarily blocked.

[1/6] Members of the military walk on the street in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake in Antakya, Turkey February 16, 2023. The number of people killed by the deadliest earthquake in Turkey's modern history has risen to 36,187, authorities said. While several people were also found alive in Turkey on Wednesday, reports of such rescues have become increasingly infrequent. Authorities in Turkey and Syria have not announced how many people are still missing. Millions of people are in need of humanitarian aid after being left homeless in near-freezing winter temperatures.

☆ Northwest Syria of 'greatest concern' after quake -WHO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"It's clear that the zone of greatest concern at the moment is the area of northwestern Syria," WHO's emergencies director, Mike Ryan, told a briefing in Geneva. We have to remember here that in Syria, we've had ten years of war. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks with a man as he visits quake survivors at a hospital in Aleppo, in the aftermath of the earthquake, Syria February 11, 2023. We've seen the deployment of emergency medical teams. We've seen all the things that we need to see in a disaster.

More than 105,000 people were injured in the quake, he said, with more than 13,000 still being treated in hospital. Afterwards, Gungor's relatives hugged the rescue team, made up of military personnel and members of the disaster management authority AFAD. Families in both Turkey and Syria said they and their children were dealing with the psychological aftermath of the quake. A first convoy of U.N. aid entered rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey via the newly-opened Bab al-Salam crossing. Russia also said it was wrapping up its search and rescue work in Turkey and Syria and preparing to withdraw.

☆ Aid reaching Northwest Syria is 'a trickle where there needs to be a flood,' NGO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailAid reaching Northwest Syria is 'a trickle where there needs to be a flood,' NGO saysKate Phillips-Barrasso of Mercy Corps discusses the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey, and says aid isn't reaching Northwest Syria "at all."

Shunned by the West, Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that have normalised ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia sent its first reported plane of aid to Assad-controlled Aleppo, a notable gesture from a Gulf state still at odds with Syria's president. 'BREAK THE SIEGE'The UAE has pledged $50 million in aid to Syria, without saying in which part of Syria it will be spent. Once a backer of Assad's foes, the UAE has been pressing other Arab states to re-engage with Damascus, according to two Gulf sources, despite opposition from its strategic ally the United States. Tunisia, which cut off ties with Syria a decade ago, has said it will strengthen relations with Damascus since the quake.

☆ Three people rescued in Turkey 198 hours after earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Muhammed Cafer Cetin, a 18-year-old earthquake survivor, is rescued from the rubble of a building some 198 hours after last week's devastating earthquake, in Adiyaman, Turkey February 14, 2023. Ihlas News Agency (IHA) via REUTERSISTANBUL, Feb 14 (Reuters) - An 18-year-old named Muhammed Cafer was rescued from the rubble of a building in southern Turkey on Tuesday, the third rescue of the morning some 198 hours after last week's devastating earthquake, broadcaster CNN Turk said. A short while earlier, rescue workers pulled two brothers alive from the ruins of an apartment block in neighbouring Kahramanmaras province. State-owned Anadolu news agency identified them as 17-year-old Muhammed Enes Yeninar and his brother, 21-year-old Baki Yeninar, who was rescued after him. Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Kim Coghill and Jonathan SpicerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Syrian rescue group criticises UN over Assad say on aid deliveries
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Syrian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSAMMAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - The head of a Syrian opposition-run rescue group on Tuesday denounced a U.N. decision to give Syrian President Bashar al Assad authorisation over aid deliveries through border crossings with Turkey, saying it gave him "free political gain". U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday Assad had agreed to allow U.N. aid deliveries to opposition-held northwest Syria through two crossings on the border with Turkey for three months. Rescuers and aid groups have complained about the slow delivery of aid after the earthquake. U.N. officials have acknowledged aid was slow initially but said they were stepping up deliveries, including getting supplies from Turkey. Large deliveries of aid from Saudi Arabia and Qatar have begun arriving in the rebel-held enclave ahead of U.N. deliveries, Saleh said.

☆ UN chief says Syria's Assad agrees to expand UN aid access from Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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. "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. A devastating earthquake struck Turkey and Syria a week ago, killing more than 37,000 people. The Syrian government had opposed the aid deliveries across its border, describing it as a violation of its sovereignty.

☆ Excavators start removing debris in Turkish region hit by earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HATAY PROVINCE, Turkey, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Excavators began removing debris from an urban area in Turkey's southern Hatay province that was devastated by last week's massive earthquake, drone footage showed on Monday, as the operation to find survivors started drawing to a close. Several large hydraulic excavators, near the city of Antakya, scraped at piles of masonry or knocked down the tops of teetering concrete buildings, footage showed, with clouds of dust rising from the rubble as slabs of concrete fell. Extractors remove debris from demolished buildings, following the deadly earthquake in Iskenderun, Turkey, February 11, 2023. Some onlookers sat on broken sofas and armchairs from buildings that were opened up by Monday's huge quake, which shattered a swathe of southern Turkey and northwest Syria. Reporting by Christina Fincher; Editing by Edmund BlairOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Earthquake death toll tops 35,000 as few survivors pierce misery in Turkey and Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Kelly Cobiella | Mithil Aggarwal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Hulya Bayrak is rescued from rubble of collapsed building 116 hours after earthquakes, on February 10, 2023 in Turkey's Hatay. The death toll from earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria passed 35,000 on Monday as a handful of survivors were pulled from the rubble more than a week after the disasters devastated swaths of both countries. Emergency workers rescued 11-year-old Lena Maradini on Sunday, who had been trapped for over 160 hours close to the epicenter in Hatay, a European Pressphoto Agency picture showed. Another woman, Naide Umay, was rescued from the rubble nearby after almost 175 hours, according to a video by Reuters. The death toll was expected to climb further.

☆ UN aid chief: quake rescue phase 'coming to a close'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ALEPPO, Syria, Feb 13 (Reuters) - 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 U.N. aid chief said during a visit to Syria on Monday. The Feb. 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. The United Nations said more than 4,300 had been reported killed in the northwest, and more than 7,600 injured. Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Timour Azhari/Tom Perry, Writing by Clauda Tanios; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. urges U.N. vote to approve more aid access to Syria via Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Since 2014 the U.N. has been able to deliver aid to millions of people in need in the northwest part of war-torn Syria through Turkey under a Security Council mandate. 'FAILED'On the 15-member Security Council, Brazil and Switzerland take the lead on negotiating any action related to the Syria humanitarian aid access issue. The death toll from the earthquake last week in Turkey and Syria passed 33,000 on Sunday. The ambassadors of Brazil and Switzerland said on Friday they wanted Griffiths to brief the Security Council before any action was discussed. "We have so far failed the people in northwest Syria," Griffiths said in a post on Twitter.

☆ President Biden Orders Second ‘Object’ Shot Down Over Alaska
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-11 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Watch: U.N Earthquake Aid Arrives in Rebel-Held Northern Syria Trucks carrying United Nations aid crossed into rebel-held northwest Syria on Thursday. Delivering aid to the area has proven difficult because roads to the only U.N.-approved point of entry have been damaged by the earthquake. Photo: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP/Getty Images

[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.

☆ Newborn Rescued From Quake Debris Is in ‘Good Health’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ World Food Programme warns of stock shortage in quake-hit northwest Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme (WFP) is running out of stocks in northwest Syria and called to open more border crossings from Turkey after both countries were ravaged by earthquakes, the U.N. food aid organisation said on Friday. "Northwest Syria, where 90% of the population depends on humanitarian assistance, is a big concern. The border crossing is open now, but we need to get new border crossings open." Currently, there is only one open crossing, at Bab al-Hawa, between Turkey and the opposition-held northwest Syria. Fleischer stressed that opening a second border crossing was essential to getting aid to northwest Syria.

[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.

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