A frantic search is underway to find more survivors and help the injured as the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has surpassed 7,800, the Associated Press reported. The search continues amid freezing weather and several aftershocks that have slowed rescue efforts, despite international aid from many countries including India.
A strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. Turkey’s emergency agency said the country’s total death toll exceeded 5,400, with about 31,000 people injured. The death toll in government-controlled areas of Syria has climbed to over 800, with about 1,500 wounded, according to the health ministry.
State of emergency in Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 southern provinces hit by a massive earthquake Why was the earthquake so devastating in Turkey and Syria?
The reason earthquakes in Turkey have proven so damaging is that the East Anatolian Fault is a strike-slip fault, where solid rock plates push against each other across a vertical fault line beneath the earth’s surface, creating tension until one eventually slips. horizontal movement, which leads to an earthquake, which is a sudden movement of the earth’s crust on a fault line.
Can you predict earthquakes?
The United States Geological Survey – the US government’s seismic activity monitoring body – said that earthquakes cannot be predicted. “USGS scientists can only calculate the probability that a significant earthquake (shown in our hazard mapping) will occur in a certain area within a certain number of years,” they said.
Mother dies in childbirth under rubble in earthquake-hit Syrian city; the child survives
In a war-torn Syrian city, residents digging through rubble have discovered a crying baby whose mother appeared to have given birth to her while trapped in this week’s devastating earthquake.
The newborn girl’s umbilical cord was still connected to her mother, Afraa Abu Hadiya, who was dead, they said. Child was the only member of her family to survive the building collapse Turkey declares 3-month state of emergency in 10 provinces
Turkey’s president declared a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces to deal with the aftermath of two earthquakes
The emergency rule, which must be approved by parliament, would allow the government to take emergency security and financial measures in affected areas.
What the US said about aid to Syria
The United States has said it is working with partners to provide earthquake relief in Syria, but will be firmly opposed to working with the Damascus government.
The United States also said it expected to send more aid to Turkey after sending two rescue teams to the NATO ally, which also suffered heavily in Sunday’s earthquake.
Israeli aid to Turkey and Syria after devastating earthquake
Israel’s military announced that its delegation of medics and engineers will leave for Turkey early Wednesday to set up a field hospital to treat victims of a powerful earthquake.
The team will include about 230 people, including military doctors, nurses and paramedics.
International aid to earthquake-hit Syria bogged down in politics over sanctions
In addition to logistical problems, earthquake-stricken Syria also faces daunting political challenges as the international community remains reluctant to provide aid to the war-torn country.
A key issue complicating the dispersal of aid is “the war and the way aid is distributed between rebel areas and Damascus, Syria,” the news agency said, citing Aron Lund, a fellow at Century International, a New York-based think tank that studies Syria.
What you need to know about rescue operations in Turkey and Syria
Search teams from nearly 30 countries poured in and pledges of help were made. But as the damage spread to several cities and towns – some isolated by the ongoing conflict in Syria – the voices calling for help from the piles of rubble fell silent.
Written by: Vaishali Verma
Read Now:<strong>New study: Life expectancy for young people 14 years shorter in violent countries</strong>
