(Kahramanmaras) The death toll from the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria rose to more than 33,000 on Sunday, as a new UN convoy arrived in Syria, bringing much-needed aid to the victims.
Ten trucks crossed the border from Turkey at the Bab-al Hawa crossing point in northwestern Syria, an AFP correspondent noted, bringing emergency shelters with materials. plastic sheets, blankets, mattresses, ropes, screws and nails, among others.
UN relief chief Martin Griffiths, however, admitted that “so far we have failed the people of northwestern Syria. They rightly feel abandoned.” We must now “correct this failure as soon as possible,” he said.
According to an official of the Syrian Ministry of Transport, Suleiman Khalil, 62 planes loaded with aid have so far landed in the country and more are expected in the hours and days to come, notably from Saudi Arabia.
PHOTO BENOIT TESSIER, REUTERS
Two people look at destroyed buildings in Alexandretta, Turkey.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad thanked the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for their “enormous humanitarian aid”, as he received the head of Emirati diplomacy, Abdallah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, in Damascus.
Abu Dhabi initially announced 12.7 million euros ($18.3 million) in humanitarian aid to Syria before pledging another 47 million euros ($67 million).
The powerful Lebanese movement Hezbollah, an ally of the Syrian government, for its part sent a convoy of humanitarian aid to western Syria on Sunday, with “food” and “medical supplies”.
miraculous rescues
According to the latest official reports, the earthquake, of magnitude 7.8, caused at least 33,179 deaths: 29,605 in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria. According to the UN, the toll could still “double”.
In Jableh, on the Syrian coast, “many families have been separated, the situation is extremely difficult” and the hope of finding people alive is quickly disappearing, testifies Rouba Ahmed Shaheen, 43, member of the medical rescue, estimating that ” the city is doomed,” she said.
Access to Syria at war, whose regime is under international sanctions, is proving more complicated than for Turkey.
Humanitarian organizations are particularly worried about the spread of cholera, which has reappeared in Syria.
The Damascus government on Friday authorized “the delivery of humanitarian aid to the whole” of the country – including areas held by the rebels.
In Turkey, cases of miraculous rescues well beyond the crucial 72-hour post-disaster period continue to be reported by Turkish relief workers and media.
In Hatay, a 63-year-old woman, Hafsa Dagci, was pulled from the rubble 158 hours after the quake. In Adiyaman, a 23-year-old woman, Elif Kirmizi, was rescued 153 hours after the earthquake, one hour after the rescue of her sister Rabia, a 28-year-old teacher. Their father died in the disaster.
Mustafa Sarigul, 35, was saved at the 149e hour in Hatay by Turkish gendarmes and teams from Italy and Romania, after twelve hours of effort during which the man sang under the rubble to keep his spirits up.
PHOTO KARIM SAHIB, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Search continues in Jableh, Syria
However, some international rescue teams face threats.
The Israeli relief NGO United Hatzalah announced on Sunday the cessation of its operations in Turkey due to a “serious threat” to the safety of its team there.
On Saturday, the Austrian army suspended its rescue operations in Turkey for a few hours, citing “the security situation”. Three German organizations had also suspended their operations, due to the deterioration of “the security situation in the province of Hatay”, with “clashes between different factions”.
Arrest of contractors
On the diplomatic-humanitarian front, Turkey and Greece have muted their long historical rivalry, heightened by territorial, economic and migratory disputes, in favor of solidarity.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited the disaster areas of Turkey on Sunday with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who gave him a warm welcome.
PHOTO UMIT BEKTAS, REUTERS
The interior of a destroyed church in Altınözü, Turkey.
Athens was one of the very first countries to announce aid to its neighbor, and this visit is the first by a European minister to Turkey since the start of the disaster.
“Let us continue to be in solidarity, through prayer and concrete support, with the populations affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria”, launched for his part Pope Francis at the end of his traditional Sunday prayer at the Angelus Square. Saint Pierre.
Nearly 32,000 people are mobilized for search and rescue operations in Turkey, as well as more than 8,000 foreign rescuers according to the Turkish agency responsible for natural disasters.
The brutal collapse of the buildings, which betrays their poor construction and left their residents with virtually no chance, is angering the country.
Turkish media reported the arrest of a dozen building contractors in the south of the country. Further arrests are expected.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 26 million people may have been affected in Turkey and Syria, including “around five million vulnerable people”, and on Saturday launched an urgent appeal to collect 42.8 million dollars.