Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria live updates: Death toll soars past 11,000 from the deadliest quake in a decade
Syria #Syria
1m ago / 2:58 PM UTC
Turkish leader acknowledges problems with relief effort
President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday admitted to problems with his government’s initial response to a devastating earthquake in southern Turkey amid anger from those left destitute and frustrated over the slow arrival of rescue teams.
Erdogan, who contests an election in May, said on a visit to the disaster zone that operations were now working normally and promised no one would be left homeless, as the combined death toll across Turkey and neighboring Syria climbed above 11,000.
“Where are the tents, where are food trucks?” said Melek, 64, in Antakya, saying she had not seen any rescue teams. “We survived the earthquake, but we will die here due to hunger or cold here.”
59m ago / 1:59 PM UTC
U.N. releases $25M from emergency fund for humanitarian response
The United Nations says it’s “exploring all avenues” to get supplies to rebel-held northwestern Syria, and it released $25 million from its emergency fund to help kick-start the humanitarian response in Turkey and Syria.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the road leading to the Bab al-Hawa border crossing from Turkey to northern Syria was damaged, temporarily disrupting aid delivery to the rebel-held northwest. He said the border crossing itself “is actually intact.” Bab al-Hawa is the only crossing through which U.N. aid is allowed into the area.
Dujarric said the U.N. is preparing a convoy to cross the conflict lines within Syria. But that would likely require a new agreement with President Bashar al-Assad’s government, which has laid siege to rebel-held areas throughout the civil war.
In Turkey, Dujarric said, Syrian refugees make up more than 1.7 million of the 15 million people inhabiting the 10 provinces impacted by the earthquake.
2h ago / 1:24 PM UTC
Photo: Injured Syrian man recovers in a makeshift shelter
A Syrian man who was injured and left homeless in the deadly earthquake sits with a child in a makeshift shelter in the Deir Ballut camp in Aleppo province Wednesday.
Rami Al Sayed / AFP – Getty Images
2h ago / 1:11 PM UTC
UNICEF official: ‘We haven’t slept for several days’
A UNICEF office in southern Turkey is being used as an emergency shelter to to house 120 people, the organization’s senior emergency adviser in Syria said on NBC News NOW on Wednesday.
“We haven’t slept for several days,” said Melinda Young, adding that there are also four cats at the shelter in Gaziantep, just over the border from Syria.
Young, who is also working from the office to coordinate the organization’s emergency response in northern Syria, said the facility is in a “safer structure” but that “nothing is entirely safe,” pointing to the fact that there have been more than 200 aftershocks since the earthquake.
She said she was in a 10th floor hotel room in Gaziantep when the earthquake struck.
“It was just terrifying,” she said. “I’ve worked in disasters for the last 20 years, but the magnitude and the force of that quake and how long it was — people were screaming in the corridors, just grabbing kids outside of hotel rooms, family dragging them down those 10 floors in order to get outside as fast as possible.”
2h ago / 12:41 PM UTC
Photo: President Erdogan visits earthquake victims
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan comforts survivors as he visits a tent camp in Kahramanmaras on Wednesday.
Murat Cetinmuhuradar / EPA via Shutterstock
3h ago / 12:21 PM UTC
Death toll rises past 11,200
At least 11,236 people have died in the wake of Monday’s earthquake, according to the latest figures, officials said Wednesday.
In Turkey, at least 8,574 have died and 40,910 have been injured, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday as he visited areas affected by the earthquake and its aftershocks. At least 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble alive, according to the the country’s disaster and emergency management office.
In Syria, at least 1,262 deaths and 22,085 injuries were recorded in government-held areas, according to the Ministry of Health. In rebel-held territories, at least 1,400 people have died and more than 2,700 injured, according to the volunteer rescue organization White Helmets.
3h ago / 12:05 PM UTC
Photo: Devastated women embrace in Kahramanmaras
Women cry out at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of a major earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on Wednesday.
Sedat Suna / EPA via Shutterstock
3h ago / 11:52 AM UTC
German Chancellor Scholz: ‘We have to move closer together and support each other’
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he and other officials were “shocked by the [news about] the deceased and injured” in Turkey and Syria.
Speaking ahead of a speech in his country’s Parliament, the German leader stressed it was important to ensure Syria has adequate support.
“In catastrophes like this, we have to move closer together and support each other,” Scholz said, praising the cooperation between Greece and Turkey in the past days.
4h ago / 11:24 AM UTC
Photo: A man cries during search for survivors in Turkey
A distraught man is comforted at the site of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on Wednesday.
Sedat Suna / EPA via Shutterstock
4h ago / 11:05 AM UTC
Death toll soars past 11,000 as Erdogan visits earthquake zone
The death toll has now soared past 11,000 after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a rise in the number of dead in his country Wednesday.
Speaking from the earthquake zone, Erdogan said at least 8,574 people were dead in Turkey following Monday’s devastation. The number brings the combined death toll across Turkey and Syria to at least 11,116.
At least 40,910 people had been injured in Turkey, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
In Syria, the Ministry of Health had earlier reported at least 1,262 deaths and 2,285 injuries in government-held areas. At least 1,280 deaths and more than 2,600 injuries were recorded in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.
5h ago / 10:19 AM UTC
Photo: USAID search and rescue crews arrive in Turkey
USAID search and rescue experts land in Turkey on Wednesday to assist emergency crews in responding to the devastating earthquakes in the region.
@USAIDSavesLives
5h ago / 10:17 AM UTC
Earthquake devastation becomes deadliest in over a decade
As the death toll surged Wednesday, the earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria has become the deadliest in over a decade.
In 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal and killed more than 8,800 people, according to the United Nations.
The deadliest earthquake prior to Monday’s was Japan’s 9.0- magnitude temblor in 2011, according to the U.N.
That quake triggered a devastating tsunami and a nuclear disaster, with more than 20,000 people estimated to have died in the triple catastrophe.
5h ago / 10:00 AM UTC
Civil war and shattered roads slow aid to quake-hit Syria
The desperate race to save people trapped under the rubble in northern Syria poses unique challenges that aid groups and local volunteers warn could spell deadly delays in help reaching the war-ravaged and earthquake-stricken pocket of the country.
Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a resident of Darat Izza in the northwest, described hearing voices under collapsed buildings as rescuers toiled in freezing conditions with little to no heavy machinery.
“We were hearing screams and messages,” he said in an interview with NBC News Now. “We couldn’t do anything,” he added, describing how he and other volunteers removed rubble with their bare hands.
“I couldn’t sleep at night, because they were still in my ears,” Alhamdo said.
Read the full story.
5h ago / 9:57 AM UTC
Death toll climbs past 9,650
The death toll from Monday’s earthquakes has climbed past 9,638 and is expected to continue to rise, according to officials.
In Turkey, at least 7,108 people were dead and 40,910 injured as of early Wednesday, according to Turkey’s Disaster Management Authority. At least 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble alive, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday.
In Syria, the Ministry of Health reported at least 1,262 deaths and 2,285 injuries in government-held areas. At least 1,280 deaths and more than 2,600 injuries were recorded in rebel-held areas, according to the White Helmets.
5h ago / 9:33 AM UTC
China pledges aid to Syria as rescue teams arrive in Turkey
China said Wednesday that it would provide 30 million yuan ($4.4 million) in emergency aid to Syria, as an 82-member Chinese rescue team arrived in Turkey.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily briefing that $2 million of the Syrian aid would be used for cash and urgently needed relief supplies.
Earlier, China pledged 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) as its first tranche of emergency aid to Turkey, with its Red Cross providing Turkey and Syria an additional $200,000 each.
The rescue team arrived early Wednesday with rescue equipment and four search and rescue dogs, the Chinese Embassy in Turkey said in a statement. It was sent at the request of the Turkish government, it added.
Civilian rescue teams from Chinese nonprofit organizations have also been dispatched, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.
6h ago / 9:22 AM UTC
Tents fill sports stadium in Turkish city
A tent city has been set up at a sports stadium in Kahramanmaras to house residents displaced by Monday’s earthquakes.
The tents were set up by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
Mehmet Ali Ozcan / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
6h ago / 9:16 AM UTC
Photo: Bodies line the floor in front of Turkish hospital
Bodies of earthquake victims are laid in front of a hospital in Hatay, Turkey, on Wednesday, some covered with blankets as the country suffers a shortage of body bags.
DIA Images / via Getty
6h ago / 9:15 AM UTC
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers sending aid to Turkey and Syria
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers say they are sending about $165,000 in earthquake aid to Turkey and Syria “on the basis of shared humanity and Islamic brotherhood.”
Turkey will receive about $110,000, while $55,000 will go to Syria, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Tuesday.
It said Afghanistan’s emergency response and health teams were also prepared to assist if needed.
Afghanistan is facing its own economic and humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations warning of record-high malnutrition rates and scores of people being killed by wintry weather. The Taliban, who regained power in August 2021 amid the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, have drawn international condemnation over their restrictions on women’s rights and their government has yet to be formally recognized by any foreign capital.
6h ago / 9:04 AM UTC
How to help earthquake survivors
As many as 23 million people, including around 1.4 million children, are likely to have been impacted by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, according to the World Health Organization.
For those who want to help survivors of the disaster, there are several international humanitarian organizations seeking donations to fund their aid efforts.
Here’s how you can help.
6h ago / 9:00 AM UTC
Turkey’s stock exchange suspends trading for the first time in 24 years
Turkey’s stock exchange has suspended trading after the country’s benchmark trading index dropped dramatically Wednesday.
The Borsa Istanbul suspended trading after two marketwide circuit beakers failed to stop a slip in the main index, which dipped 7% after markets opened.
“Trading in Equity Market and Single Stock & Index Futures and Options Contracts in the Derivatives Market has been suspended,” the exchange said in a statement, according to Reuters.
This is the first time the exchange has been suspended in 24 years, according to Bloomberg.
It was not immediately clear when trading would resume.
6h ago / 8:55 AM UTC
Kim Jong Un offers condolences to Syria
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a message of condolence Wednesday to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
According to North Korean state media, Kim said he was confident that under Assad’s leadership, “the government and people of the Syrian Arab Republic will eradicate the aftermath of the earthquake damage as soon as possible and stabilize the living conditions of the people in the afflicted areas.”
Syria is one of the few countries to maintain friendly relations with North Korea amid international sanctions over Kim’s nuclear and missile programs.
There have been no reports of Kim sending a similar message to Turkey, where the damage from the earthquake was greater.
6h ago / 8:49 AM UTC
Death toll rises to 9,200
The death has risen to at least 9,200 people, according to officials.
In Turkey, at least 7,108 people are dead and 40,910 injured, according to the country’s Disaster Management Authority.
In Syria, at least 812 people were dead and 1,832 injured, according to the Ministry of Health. In Syrian rebel-held territories, at least 1,280 deaths were recorded, with more than 2,600 injured, according to the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue force.
6h ago / 8:31 AM UTC
Erdogan to visit areas impacted by earthquakes
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit the areas hit the hardest by Monday’s 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes.
He is expected to visit the provinces of Adana, Kahramanmaras and Malatya initially. He may also visit other areas.
It was not immediately clear when Erdogan was expected to make the trip.
6h ago / 8:31 AM UTC
Photo: People wait for news of trapped loved ones in Turkey
People wait for news of their loved ones, believed to be trapped under collapsed buildings Tuesday in Hatay, Turkey.
Burak Kara / Getty Images
6h ago / 8:31 AM UTC
Death toll soars past 9,000
Desperate search and rescue efforts are still underway in Turkey and Syria as the death toll from Monday’s earthquakes soared past 9,000.
At least 9,049 people were dead as of early Wednesday, according to officials.
In Turkey, at least 6,957 people are dead and 22,168 injured, according to the country’s Disaster Management Authority.
In Syria, at least 812 people were dead and 1,832 injured, according to the Ministry of Health. In Syrian rebel-held territories, at least 1,280 deaths were recorded, with more than 2,600 injured, according to the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue force.