Because there is a glaring lack of emergency accommodation for the up to 5.3 million people who have become homeless according to UN estimates, the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which is active in the rebel areas, warned people of potentially fatal consequences if they entered the fragile ruins. The example of a family from the small town of Djindiris, which was badly hit by the earthquake and which, according to SAMS, had to be rescued twice, shows the danger.
A pregnant woman was pulled out from under her half-collapsed house a few hours after the tremors, the NGO said. After the birth of her child, she and her husband moved back into the half-ruined house. According to the information, the family’s home finally collapsed completely during an aftershock.
The woman was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The baby is also in critical condition. It was unclear whether the man was also injured. In general, the areas in Syria hit by the earthquake have received little help so far, as the fronts to the regime-controlled areas are sealed off and only a single border crossing (Bab al-Hawa) connects the region with Turkey in the north.
Convoys ready – but unable to get underway
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has convoys with aid supplies ready for the affected areas in north-west Syria, they are still waiting for the delivery permit. The government in Damascus has given comprehensive permission to bring convoys from areas under government control to rebel areas, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently in the Syrian capital Damascus.
However, the Syrian government only wants humanitarian aid to flow through the areas it controls. The United States had called on Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad to grant humanitarian aid immediate access without exception.
The area around Idlib and large parts of the areas affected by the earthquake are under the control of militias. “We’re ready, we’re waiting to hear from the other side,” Ghebreyesus said. A UN spokesman recently spoke of “permission problems” with the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls most of the area. The United Nations and the United States classify HTS as a terrorist organization.
Rebel leader calls for help
The HTS rebel leader, on whom the US government has put a $10 million bounty on his head, called for urgent international aid to the northwestern province of Idlib. “The United Nations must understand that they have to help in a crisis,” Ahmed Hussein al-Shara, better known by the alias Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, told the British Guardian.
Jolani was officially classified as a terrorist by the US in 2013 for having previously led the al-Nusra Front, a splinter group of al-Qaeda. “From the first hour of the earthquake, we sent messages to the United Nations asking for help,” al-Shara told the Guardian in Idlib. “Unfortunately, no support has arrived for our search and rescue teams, nor has any specific help been provided to address this crisis.”
Earthquake Disaster: Still Rescues
According to official figures, 35,000 people have already died after the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border area. The UN estimates that the death toll is likely to exceed 50,000. However, even after a week, there are still rays of hope, because every day survivors are still being found under the rubble.
The humanitarian aid organization White Helmets, which is active in north-western Syria, complained on Friday that practically no UN earthquake aid had arrived in the region by then. Cries for help to the international community had also recently been sent from hospitals – in view of the completely inadequate supply situation.
rebels negotiate
Aid deliveries are also stalling within the country. The British-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that 52 trucks with aid supplies from Kurdish-controlled areas destined for regions in western Syria were stopped by rebels close to Turkey. Both sides are currently in negotiations.
The goods are said to come from the north-east of the country and the Kurds want them to be transported to Idlib and Afrin, which are under the control of other militias. The trucks transport things like tents, food, medicine and warm clothing.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Griffiths arrived in Aleppo
Meanwhile, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths arrived in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Monday after his trip to the Turkish-Syrian earthquake zone. The state agency Sana reported that he was getting a picture of the situation in the hard-hit parts of the city. Griffiths had previously acknowledged failures by the United Nations to help Syrian earthquake victims. “We have failed the people of Northwest Syria so far,” he tweeted.
The death toll keeps rising
In both Syria and Turkey, the death toll is steadily increasing. Although people were still being rescued from the rubble on Monday morning – a week after the earthquake – hopes for miracles like these are dwindling. The number of confirmed dead is now more than 37,500, and more than 80,000 people were injured. UN emergency aid coordinator Griffiths expected at least 50,000 deaths over the weekend.
ORF correspondent Wagner on the salvage work
ORF correspondent Katharina Wagner reports on the salvage work in Turkey. Survivors are also found seven days after the earthquake.
The WHO puts the number of deaths in Syria at 5,900, the number of unreported cases is probably far higher. In Turkey, 31,643 fatalities are currently recorded, the state news agency Anadolu reported on Monday, citing the civil protection authority AFAD. More than 80,000 people were injured. Thousands of people are still missing. Even after 175 hours or more under rubble, isolated people were still rescued in Turkey.
In the province of Hatay, a woman was rescued alive on Monday morning, the daily newspaper “Hürriyet” reported – another person after 176 hours. There was also good news from the province of Gaziantep: The rescuers brought a 40-year-old alive from the ruins of a five-story house after 170 hours, as reported by the state broadcaster TRT.
Armed Forces ended mission
Meanwhile, international aid organizations are ending their operations in the crisis area. The soldiers of the federal army also moved away from the site, but the return flight should not take place until Thursday. The helpers were no longer requested to work on Sunday. A rescue and recovery team will remain on standby for any needs until Monday noon.
Since last Tuesday, 82 soldiers of the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit (AFDRU) have been deployed in the hard-hit Turkish province of Hatay – more on this at noe.ORF.at. Dismantling of the field camp began on Monday. The rescue of people is becoming “more and more unlikely due to the advanced time,” said operations manager Bernhard Lindenberg.
Austria: No change in visa criteria
At the same time, Austria wants to support earthquake victims or their relatives by examining their visa applications as quickly as possible, but not changing the criteria.
The Ministry of the Interior in Vienna said on Monday at APA’s request that the Austrian representations where the applications are to be made would use the possibilities available within the legal framework. The test will continue to be based on the previously applicable criteria.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, a valid visa is required by law for entry into Austria from Syria or Turkey. The conditions for issuing a visa should be checked in an individual procedure, it said.
