Tuesday, February 7, 2023 | 9:13 a.m.
The disasters generated by the earthquake that affected Turkey and Syria did not stop this Tuesday and the dead already amount to 5,000, while rescue teams search for survivors among the rubble.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proclaimed seven days of national mourning in Turkey for the earthquake that shook the south of the country and neighboring Syria on Monday. Based on the decree published by the government, the flags will fly at half mast starting until next Sunday.
“A seven-day period of national mourning has been declared. Our flag will be flown at half mast until sunset on Sunday, February 12, 2023 in all our national and foreign representations,” Erdogan announced through his official Twitter account.
In this context, international aid will arrive this Tuesday in the areas hardest hit by the earthquake, which has already had more than 40 aftershocks.
In Turkey, the death toll rose to 3,419 people killed and 20,534 injured, Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Tuesday. While in Syria, at least 1,602 people died and 3,640 were injured, according to estimates by the Damascus authorities and rescue teams in rebel areas.
Last night there was a huge earthquake in #Turkey. The magnitude was not very large (comparable to the 1985 earthquake in Chile), but the damage was much greater. What has happened, and why was such a great tragedy unleashed?
seismic thread belowpic.twitter.com/9Qvbhrzzqn
— Cristian Farías (@cfariasvega) February 6, 2023
23 million people were exposed by the earthquakes
According to a person in charge of the World Health Organization (WHO), Adelheid Marschang, “23 million people are exposed”, which includes five million vulnerable people.
International aid will arrive this Tuesday with the first rescue teams from France or Qatar. US President Joe Biden, for his part, promised his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “all the necessary help, whatever it may be.”
The White House announced the dispatch of 79 first responders and the Chinese government announced aid of 5.9 million dollars, which will include specialized teams for relief in urban environments, medical equipment and emergency supplies.
According to Erdogan, 45 countries offered their contributions to the two countries affected by the earthquake of more than seven points.
