As of February 9, the death toll in Turkey and Syria in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 has exceeded 21,000, according to CNN.
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said the death toll in the country was 17,674 and the number of injured was 72,879.
In Syria, at least 3,377 people were killed, of which 2,030 were in rebel-controlled areas and 1,347 in government-controlled areas, according to data from the volunteer search and rescue group Helmets. White Helmets.
The total number of people injured in Syria is 5,245.
| People in earthquake-affected areas wait for news regarding their loved ones at a collapsed building in Hatay city (Turkey) on February 9. Photo: CNN |
According to a notice from the Higher Education Council of Turkey, universities in the country (including earthquake-free areas) will be closed until further notice.
Turkish Education Minister Mahmut Ozer also announced that schools across the country would be closed until February 20.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said regarding 95 countries and 16 international organizations have pledged aid to Ankara. According to him, as of February 9, there are 6,479 rescuers from 56 countries at the scene.
“Rescue teams from 19 other countries will be there within 24 hours,” he added.
The United States on February 9 pledged to provide $85 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, according to the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
On the same day, Britain pledged an additional £3 million in aid to the White Helmets group (bringing total aid to £3.8 million) to support rescue and emergency relief operations in northwest Syria. .
The French Foreign Ministry also announced on February 9 that France would provide 12 million euros in support to Syrians affected by the earthquake.
The pledge will include 5 million euros for the United Nations and 5 million euros for non-governmental organizations “working in health, housing, water and sanitation”.
The French foreign ministry said the remaining 2 million euros were “under consideration” for food aid.
Now rescue teams are racing to rescue survivors as the quake has passed more than 90 hours. Many aid agencies warned that fresh snowfall, power and water shortages might cause a “secondary disaster” for people in the quake-hit area.
