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, acknowledged 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.
Humanitarian aid
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday thanked the United Arab Emirates 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 in humanitarian aid to Syria before promising an additional 47 million euros. 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, killed at least 33,179 people: 29,605 in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria. According to the UN, the toll might 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 regarding 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. In Hatay, a 63-year-old woman, Hafsa Dagci, was pulled from the rubble 158 hours following the earthquake. In Adiyaman, a 23-year-old woman, Elif Kirmizi, was rescued 153 hours following the earthquake, one hour following the rescue of her sister Rabia, a 28-year-old teacher. Their father died in the disaster. Mustafa Sarigul, 35, was saved at the 149th hour in Hatay by Turkish gendarmes and teams from Italy and Romania, following twelve hours of efforts during which the man sang under the rubble to keep the moral.
Relief operations under threat
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”.
Turkey is hunting down some promoters
Their photo is everywhere: that of the promoter arrested while trying to flee at Istanbul airport on Friday and of his two accomplices, whose heads are demanded by Internet users. Mehmet Yasar Coskun was the client of the “Rönesans” (Renaissance) residence, built in Antakya, in the south of Turkey, 10 years ago: on February 6, the building of eight floors and 250 apartments with swimming pool, which notably housed Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, tipped on its side and on its inhabitants.
Read also: After the earthquake in Turkey, Erdogan, faced with the hostility of the survivors, is already playing his re-election
It is one of thousands of buildings in Turkey that collapsed on themselves, leaving no chance for their occupants seized in their sleep by the violent tremor that occurred at 4:00 am.
Faced with the anger that rumbles in the country once morest the construction mafias, relayed by the press and social networks, the Turkish authorities have reacted promptly and arrests and arrest warrants are raining down. Three people were imprisoned, seven arrested including two other promoters who were trying to escape to Georgia, and 114 are still wanted, announced the Turkish Minister of Justice, Bekir Bozdag. A total of 134 investigations were launched.
Swiss rescuers back on Monday
Swiss rescue teams are preparing to return on Monday. The Swiss Rescue Chain has completed its work at the disaster sites assigned to it. The demobilization is taking place in agreement with the Turkish authorities and in coordination with the other international rescue teams, Keystone-ATS learned on Sunday from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The 87 members of the Lifesaving Chain had traveled to Turkey last Monday, the same day of the earthquake.
Turks who lost their homes in the earthquake should be given priority when granting visas for Switzerland. This measure should enable them to find temporary accommodation more quickly with relatives in Switzerland.
Read also: Visa for earthquake victims: Bern will give priority to those with relatives in Switzerland
Until Saturday evening, 603 people applied to obtain a visa more quickly, confirmed the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) following an article published in the SonntagsZeitung. Two employees of the SEM will strengthen the staff in Turkey. A further increase in the number of collaborators is under consideration
