Turkey and Syria
Earthquake victims: Berlin plans visa facilitation
In Germany, those affected by the earthquake should soon be allowed to enter Germany more quickly. photo
© Svet Jacqueline/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Hundreds of bodies are still being recovered in Turkey and Syria. Chancellor Scholz condoles to the people in the disaster area. When it comes to visa facilitation, one federal state is leading the way.
Five days after the severe earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the number of fatalities and injuries continues to rise.
In both countries, the authorities counted 23,597 dead and 84,962 injured by Saturday night. There are probably only a few survivors among the piles of rubble of collapsed buildings, which weigh several tons.
A 7.7 magnitude tremor shook the Turkish-Syrian border area early Monday morning, followed by another 7.6 magnitude tremor at noon. In Turkey alone, 20,213 dead and 80,052 injured were counted. 3,384 deaths were reported from Syria. Since people can usually hardly survive longer than three days without water and the number of missing persons is still very high, it is to be feared that the number of victims will increase drastically.
Still touching miracles
And yet they still exist: touching individual fates that give hope to tireless rescue workers and desperate relatives. For example, helpers in Kahramanmaras pulled a 46-year-old man out of the ruins of a seven-story building 112 hours after the quake, according to the state news agency Anadolu. In the province of Gaziantep, a buried pregnant woman was saved from death after 115 anxious hours. Also in Gaziantep, rescuers rescued a nine-year-old girl from the rubble after 108 hours – but for her two parents and her sister, any help came too late.
“Germany mourns with the people in Türkiye,” wrote Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the book of condolences in the Turkish embassy in Berlin, as he announced on Twitter. “We will provide any support possible to help in these difficult hours.”
According to Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay, more than a million people are now being accommodated in makeshift shelters. Around 160,000 search and rescue workers are deployed, said the civil protection authority Afad. More than 7,700 helpers were sent to the earthquake area from abroad.
Özdemir for fast visa facilitation
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir spoke out in favor of rapid entry simplifications so that those affected by the earthquake can come to Germany to see relatives. “Many people in Germany have relatives in the disaster region and are desperately worried about them,” said the Greens politician to the German Press Agency. The federal government had promised a “pragmatic solution” for issuing visas to survivors of the earthquake disaster.
Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) announced on Friday that it would be easier for people affected by the earthquake with relatives in the capital to enter Germany. You should be able to get the necessary visa faster than usual. For this purpose, the Berlin Senate Administration issued a so-called global approval, which does not require the participation of the Berlin State Office for Immigration. Proof of German language skills will be waived, it said. The regulation affects close relatives such as minor children and spouses. The acceleration of the visa issuance is therefore valid until July 31, 2023.