Will Syria finally receive the necessary humanitarian aid after the earthquake which hit the northwest of the country hard? Damascus announced on Monday, February 13, the opening for an initial period of three months, of two new crossing points with Turkey to speed up the arrival of relief. Until then, only one crossing point, that of Bab al-Hawa, was open to access the rebel areas of this region. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hailed this decision by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which “will allow more help to come in, faster”. Follow our live.
Hundreds of thousands of homeless people still face hunger and cold. According to the Turkish government, 1.2 million people have been housed in student residences, more than 206,000 tents have been erected and 400,000 victims evacuated from the devastated areas.
The toll continues to rise. At least 35,331 people died, according to the latest reports from the authorities on Monday evening. There are 31,643 dead in southern Turkey, according to Afad, the Turkish public disaster management body, while the Syrian authorities have recorded 3,688 dead.
Rare survivors. In the night from Sunday to Monday, seven people were released alive in Turkey, according to the press, including a three-year-old child in Kahramanmaras and a 60-year-old woman in Besni. Another, 40, was also rescued after 170 hours in Gaziantep.