Northwest Syria a "catastrophe on top of catastrophe," WFP warns, as earthquake aid stocks exhaust "quickly"
From CNN’s Becky Anderson
Syrian earthquake survivors rest in tents in Idlib, Syria, on February 9. (Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
The World Food Programme (WFP) is calling for more access to Syrian territories impacted by the deadly earthquake to replenish aid supplies that have been exhausted, with the organization's executive director calling the situation in the northwest of the country "catastrophe on top of catastrophe."
"What stocks we have are being exhausted quickly, especially the ready to eat rations, and they need to be replenished quickly. To do this, we need access," David Beasley said.
Here's some background: In the past aid was brought into northwest Syria through Turkey from Bab al-Hawa crossing – the only point of entry authorized by the UN Security Council. A resolution proposing more border openings between Turkey and Syria was vetoed by Russia and China.
The other path in was through "crosslines," aid coming in from Syrian government territory into the rebel-held northwest.
"The one crossing authorized by the Security Council has been re-opened, but damage to roads and slowed customs clearances are significantly hampering movement," Beasley said.
"We need to resume and increase cross-line operations from inside Syria. This is not the time for anyone to politicize aid."
The WFP is aiming to provide ready-to-eat meals for 100,000 people in northwest Syria and have regular rations for 1.4 million people with partners ready for distribution.
But the organization still needs $700 million to feed almost 6 million people in Syria.
Northwest Syria is a catastrophe on top of catastrophe," Beasley said. "Now, in the middle of winter, many are displaced again, sleeping in tents and whatever shelter they can find with very limited services."
Tents are set up in Idlib, Syria, for earthquake survivors on Thursday evening. (Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
6:36 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Here's the situation in Syria following the deadly earthquake
Search and rescue efforts continue in the Salqin district of Idlib, Syria, on Thursday. (Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
More than 21,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck on Monday, and rescue workers are now racing against time to pull survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings in freezing winter conditions.
But years of conflict and an acute humanitarian crisis mean there are extra difficulties in helping survivors in Syria, where international aid has been slow to arrive.
The situation in Syria is starkly different to Turkey, where dozens of countries and international organizations have offered teams of rescuers, donations and aid.
Long wait for aid: It took until Thursday for the first United Nations aid convoy to cross from Turkey into northwestern Syria.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Thursday’s convoy, made up of six trucks carrying shelter items and Non Food Items, crossed through the Bab al-Hawa crossing – the only humanitarian aid corridor between Turkey and Syria.
Civil war disrupts aid efforts: The delivery of urgent supplies to quake-hit areas of northern Syria has been complicated by a long-running civil war between opposition forces and the Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of killing his own people.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad says any aid it receives must go through the capital Damascus. “The Syrian state is ready to allow aid to enter into all regions, provided that it does not reach terrorist armed groups,” he said.
That leaves rebel-held areas reliant on aid groups including the UN.
Millions living in the rebel-held areas of northern Syria were already suffering from the effects of extreme poverty and a cholera outbreak when the quake hit. Now many are fending for themselves.
The number of people who were in need of humanitarian assistance before the earthquake stood at 15.3 million – but that number will now have to be revised, UN Resident Coordinator for Syria, El-Mostafa Benlamlih said.
In Aleppo alone 100,000 people are believed to be homeless, with 30,000 of that number currently sheltered in schools and mosques.
“Those are the lucky ones,” Benlamlih said.
The remaining 70,000 “have snow, they have cold and they are living in a terrible situation,” he added.
Freezing temperatures: The scale of the challenge is amplified by the fact that affected areas in both Turkey and Syria are facing colder than normal temperatures. For example, the Syrian city of Aleppo is forecast to have lows of -3°C to -2°C (27°F to 28°F) through this weekend, whereas February low are normally 2.5°C (36°F).
Families of 263 children pulled from the rubble in Turkey cannot be reached
From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul and Gokce Katkici
The families of 263 children who were pulled out of the rubble in Turkey cannot be reached, the country's Ministry of Family and Social Services said Friday.
Among the rescued children whose families could not be reached, 162 children are continuing to be treated at the hospitals, while 101 children were transferred to the relevant units of the ministry and taken under institutional care after their treatment.
The ministry announced that 18 children have been handed over to their families after identity checks and verification.
Climbing death toll: More than 21,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria, and rescue workers are now racing against time to pull survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings in freezing winter conditions.
At least 78,124 people were injured across both countries, according to authorities.
5:28 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Pakistan sends 22 tons of relief goods to Turkey amid earthquake aftermath
From CNN’s Sophia Saifi in Islamabad and Martin Goillandeau in London
A Pakistani Air Force aircraft is loaded with supplies before its departure to Turkey at Nur Khan airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Tuesday. (Inter-Services Public Relations/Reuters)
Pakistan has sent a cargo plane carrying 20 metric tons (22 short tons) of relief goods for earthquake victims in Turkey as the search for survivors continues across the country.
"Just saw off a cargo plane carrying relief goods of 20-tonne for the earthquake victims of Türkiye. Pakistan has established an air, land & sea bridge for the provision of relief assistance for our brothers & sisters in Syria and Türkiye,” Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday.
"The people of Pakistan cannot forget how Türkiye came forward to help us at the time of earthquake of 2005 & super floods of 2010. The Islamic concept of brotherhood binds us in a unique relationship where we share the pain of each other," Sharif added in a separate tweet.
Pakistan sent rescue and relief teams as well as goods to Turkey on the day the earthquake struck, before deploying two contingents of the Pakistani Army emergency staff on Tuesday.
5:00 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Turkish president to visit Adiyaman and Malatya provinces amid devastation
From CNN's Isil Sariyuce in Istanbul
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Adiyaman and Malatya provinces on Friday to inspect the areas affected by Monday’s earthquake, Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.
The provinces are located toward the south of the country, and north of Gaziantep, the epicenter of the 7.8-magnitude quake.
More than 21,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria, and rescue workers are now racing against time to pull survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings in freezing winter conditions.
At least 78,124 people were injured across both countries, according to authorities.
3:18 p.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Teenage sisters saved from under the rubble 101 hours after quake hit
From CNN’s Isil Sariyuce
The rescue team detected signs of life under the rubble with seismic sensors and conducted a ten-hour rescue operation in Kahramanmaraş. (Antalaya Municipality)
Two teenage sisters have been rescued in Kahramanmaraş city 101 hours after the massive earthquake hit Turkey, firefighters said.
In a statement Friday, the Antalya Metropolitan Fire Department said Ayfer, 15, was pulled from the rubble in the 99th hour after the quake, and her sister, Fatma, 13, was saved two hours later.
Rescuers using seismic sensors detected signs of life under the debris and conducted a 10-hour rescue operation to reach where Ayfer was located, the statement said.
The firefighters spoke with Ayfer in an effort to keep her conscious. She said she missed eating ice cream and they promised to get her some when she was out safely.
They also played music that she requested.
The firefighters traveled some 800 kilometers (500 miles) from the city of Antalya to join the rescue efforts in Kahramanmaraş.
3:21 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
In hard-hit Turkish city, earthquake survivors mourn the dead and plea for help
From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Iskenderun, Turkey
Members of rescue teams work to free survivors from a heavily damaged building in Belen Town of Iskenderun City, in southern Turkey's Hatay province, on February 9. (Imaginechina/AP)
Earthquake survivors in Turkey's hard-hit coastal city of Iskenderun say they are losing hope of finding those still missing.
Server Onen said he had spent days searching for his friend under the wreckage of an apartment building in the southern city.
“The first day I was really hopeful but this is the fourth day, I am getting out of hope,” he told CNN.
Others, like Suheyl Sumbultepe, have been forced to accept their loved ones are gone.
Sumbultepe, who told CNN he saw his mother’s leg, said, “I’m not able to reach her. She is there. I see her but I cannot touch her. I understand my mother is dead. I am trying to get my mother.”
“Our government helps but it’s not enough, obviously. So we are trying to get our people by our own,” he said. “We need you. We need everyone who can come and help us.”
Some, like Burak Dik, have been successful in their efforts.
Dik said he flew from London to find his sister and other relatives, who were rescued from under the rubble after 15 hours. He told CNN it’s a miracle they made it out and likened the situation in Turkey to “a very bad dream.”
“I’m speechless to be honest,” Dik said. “My feelings are all collapsed. I’m only breathing at the moment.”
7:29 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Father and sons rescued from under the rubble in Turkey more than 76 hours after quake hit
From CNN's Zeena Saifi and Adam Pourahmadi in Gaziantep Turkey
Members of a rescue team work near a collapsed building in Gaziantep, Turkey on February 9. (Zeena Saifi/CNN)
More than 76 hours after Monday’s devastating earthquake struck southern Turkey, three men emerged alive and uninjured from the rubble in the city of Gaziantep after frantic relatives and neighbors joined the rescue operation to save them.
Mithat Tabur, and his sons Ersin, 30, and Mustafa, 26, were rescued from the wreckage of an eight-story apartment building in the city's Ibrahimli suburb after search teams detected them in what was left of their living room.
Tabur’s wife, Ayer, was located in the kitchen without a heartbeat. Rescue teams are now trying to retrieve her body from under the rubble.
More than 100 people lived in their building and roughly a quarter of the residents made it out alive.
Omer Kocok, a relative of the Taburs, told CNN early Wednesday that his cousins were able to make contact with the rescue teams through cell phone calls — giving them signs of life.
“Ersin was the one who called us for help,” Omer told CNN.
Omer volunteered to dig, assisting rescue workers in their painstaking work of sifting through the rubble.
“It’s our responsibility. They would do the same if we were in the same situation,” he said.
Rescue personnel work near a collapsed building in Gaziantep, Turkey on February 9. (Zeena Saifi/CNN)
Mustafa’s high school friend, English teacher Alptekin Talanci, said Mustafa was a civil engineer working for the local government. CNN reporters met Talanci outside the collapsed building, where he had been waiting in the cold for two days, hoping his friend would come out alive.
The day the quake struck, Talanci said it was snowing and he had gone with Mustafa to watch a movie at the cinema.
“At the end of it, he told me he needed to go home in case they called him to shovel and clean the roads. Right after that, the earthquake happened, and I tried to call him but I couldn’t catch any signals. In the morning, I heard that his building collapsed…I came here and saw the ruins and all of a sudden I started crying. Since then, I’ve been here, waiting for any kind of noise, any kind of help,” he said.
Talanci credits the survival of the Tabur sons and their father to Ersin’s training as a paramedic.
“He knew how to survive if these kinds of situations happened. He also had his phone with him luckily," Talanci said.
2:01 a.m. ET, February 10, 2023
Fading hopes for survivors as rescuers battle cold and death toll mounts in Turkey and Syria
From CNN Digital’s Photo Team
Photos from across southern Turkey and northern Syria show scenes of devastation and suffering as hopes fade of finding survivors more than four days after Monday's massive earthquake struck the region.
Personnel conduct search and rescue operations in Islahiye district of Gaziantep, Turkey, after 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes hit Kahramanmaras, on February 10, 2023. (Cebrail Caymaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
More than 21,000 people have died in both countries and rescue workers are now racing against time to pull survivors from the rubble of collapsed buildings in freezing winter conditions.
At least 78,124 people were injured across Turkey and Syria, according to authorities.
People rescued by rsecue group ISAR Germany, wait by a fire during the rescue operation in Kirikhan, Turkey on February 10. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)
A UN aid convoy crossed from Turkey into northwestern Syria on Thursday for the first time since the earthquake hit. The six trucks carrying shelter items and Non-Food Items (NFI) drove through the Bab Al Hawa border crossing, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
People walk through the destroyed center of Antakya, Turkey on February 9. (Anne Pollmann/picture-alliance/dpa/AP)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he is open to the idea of delivering aid via additional border crossings, other than the Bab al-Hawa, which is the only humanitarian aid corridor approved by the UN between Turkey and rebel-held areas of northern Syria.
Personnel and civilians conduct search and rescue operations in Afrin district of Aleppo, Syria on February 9. (Bekir Kasim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
In Syria, the earthquake's devastation heaps misery on top of an existing humanitarian crisis resulting from a more than decade-long civil war. Millions living in northwest Syria, much of which is controlled by anti-government rebels, were already suffering from the effects of extreme poverty and a cholera outbreak when the quake hit.
Now many are fending for themselves, as many Western nations have refused to send aid directly to the Syrian regime, which is under US and EU sanctions.
A woman sits near the rubble of destroyed buildings in the city of Atarib, in the western countryside of Aleppo. (Independent Doctors Association)
The Syria Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, has warned that the hope of finding survivors is fading inside the country.
Mousa Zidane, a volunteer with the group told CNN on Thursday that in the aftermath of the quakes, "tens of thousands of families are currently homeless all over northwest Syria."
The cold weather is adding to the catastrophe, he said, as rescue teams struggle to extract people from under the rubble.
Volunteers, independent non-profits and rescue organizations are working to rescue civilians from the rubble of destroyed buildings in the city of Atarib, in the western countryside of Aleppo. (Independent Doctors Association)
In the rebel-held Idlib governorate, a man told AFPTV on Thursday he had been digging through rubble with his hands as he searched for 30 relatives in the village of Besnaya.
Malik Ibrahim, 40, said he had retrieved 10 bodies, after searching for two days without sleep.
"It's ineffable, words fail me, it's tragic," he said. "The whole family is gone, and all our memories are buried with them."
