Status: 08.02.2023 4:29 p.m
President Erdogan has traveled to the earthquake areas in south-east Turkey. On site he promised financial help. The number of victims of the disaster in Syria and Turkey is more than 11,000.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to the earthquake area in south-east Turkey. He had arrived in Kahramanmaras province, the presidential office said. Erdogan also wanted to visit Hatay province. Both areas were badly hit by the tremors, the centers of many cities were massively destroyed.
During his visit to Kahramanmaras, Erdogan promised the affected families 10,000 Turkish lira (around 500 euros) in emergency aid. He also acknowledged that there were problems with the rescue on the first day. The situation was manageable from the second day, Erdogan said on site.
criticism of Erdogan
Meanwhile, those affected are complaining about the lack of or only sluggish help when rescuing those who have been buried. The Turkish opposition leader personally accused Erdogan of failure. “If anyone is primarily responsible for this course of events, it’s Erdogan,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the largest opposition party, the CHP. The president failed to prepare the country for such an earthquake during his 20-year reign.
The death toll in Syria and Turkey is now more than 11,000. As Erdogan said, there were more than 8,500 victims in Turkey alone. More than 49,000 people were injured.
Map of the earthquake area in the Turkish-Syrian border region (status 6.2.23)
Thousands of rescue and search teams deployed
The rescue work in the earthquake areas was in full swing, as Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay announced. “This work will continue until we reach the last citizen under the rubble.” According to Oktay, around 16,150 rescue and search teams are deployed and have been dispatched to all affected provinces and districts. A total of around 60,000 helpers are on site. Erdogan declared a state of emergency in ten provinces affected by the quake.
According to estimates by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, around 150,000 people have become homeless in Turkey alone. In some areas, residents accuse the government of not doing enough.
Baby rescued from rubble after 58 hours
Oktay said international and local teams were mainly brought to Adiyaman, Hatay and Kahramanmaras provinces last night, partly by air. The weather conditions allowed such flights, which made the work easier.
People can still be rescued from the rubble. Helpers in Hatay, southern Turkey, rescued a four-month-old girl from under the rubble after 58 hours. The helpers climbed into a gap between the collapsed house walls, wrapped the baby in a blanket and lifted it out, as the recordings showed.
In Kahramanmaras, a one-year-old child was pulled alive from under the rubble with his pregnant mother after 56 hours, the DHA news agency reported. The girl’s face was white with dust. The father had previously been rescued alive.
“Half an hour ago a man was rescued here alive”, Markus Rosch, ARD Istanbul, currently Iskenderun (Turkey)
Tagesschau 2:00 p.m., 8.2.2023
50 THW volunteers in Turkey
In the meantime, 50 volunteers from the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) have arrived from Germany to help in Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey. Your job is to locate, rescue and care for people who have been buried, said a spokesman. After landing in the morning, they would first load vehicles and then drive to their operational area.
Other German relief teams have already started their work. Helpers from the organization ISAR were involved in rescuing a buried woman, said the organization, which is helping in the hard-hit city of Kirikhan near the Turkish-Syrian border. Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured Erdogan of further support.
Ambassador thanks for solidarity
The Turkish ambassador to Germany, Ahmet Basar Sen, thanked German society and the government for their “close and intensive solidarity”. “In difficult times like this, it’s good to know that we can fully rely on our friends in Europe.”
In addition to specialized search and rescue teams, the main needs of the people now are emergency shelters, medicines and materials such as generators, heaters, blankets and sleeping bags, Sen said. The delivery of these funds is a top priority. “We are very happy about the support of our German friends and hope that it will continue,” said Sen.