More deaths and disease outbreaks are feared if aid to Syria cannot be boosted swiftly. And senior UN officials warn the Syrian people are justified in feeling “abandoned.”
The World Health Organization has stated that the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has “overwhelmed everyone,” with caution that relief must be expedited immediately to preserve lives.
The number of fatalities in both nations continues to rise and now stands at over 33,000.
Dr. Michael Ryan, the executive director of the World Health Organization, deemed it “misleading” to compare the impact in both countries, given the importance of “earthquake magnitude” and “population density.
“Turkey lacks experience in search and rescue and catastrophe response,” Dr. Ryan said.
“They have experienced their fair share of calamities in the past, but it is evident that this disaster has overwhelmed everyone.”
The worst-affected region is mostly controlled by an Islamist organization that is cautious of shipments from government-held territories.
Additionally, there is only one open border crossing between Turkey and northwest Syria, and the first UN convoy only arrived in the region on Thursday.
In Syria, the WHO panel stated that the country was not only battling the devastation. But also frigid weather and the end of a cholera outbreak.
Regional emergency director Dr. Rick Brennan stated that around 350,000 individuals in Aleppo and Latakia were rendered immediately homeless and that providing care was a “huge undertaking.”
According to him, many are being placed in mosques, schools, churches, and community centers, but overcrowding is a concern.
“These conditions are unacceptable, so we are working with our partners to explore alternative possibilities,” he said.
In addition, there is an increased chance of contracting a disease due to the large population and poor sanitation.
Syrians have been “abandoned”
Martin Griffiths, the UN’s emergency relief coordinator, is en route to Syria to urgently improve the flow of aid.
“We have failed the people of northwest Syria thus far. They have reason to feel abandoned. Seeking international assistance that has not yet arrived, “He sent a tweet on Sunday.
He told Sky’s Kay Burley that further border crossings between Turkey and Syria must be opened immediately “to save lives,” calling it a “no-brainer” from a humanitarian standpoint.
Andrew Mitchell, minister of development for the United Kingdom, admitted that aid to Syria was “much more stretched” than in its neighbor.
He estimated that the combined death toll in both nations could reach approximately 50,000.
On Sunday, the Disasters Emergency Committee reported that British public donations topped £60 million in three days.
The committee distributes the funds to a collection of leading UK aid organizations.
A week after Monday’s earthquake, the likelihood that more people will be dug out alive – like the boy who was rescued after five days – is practically nonexistent.
Now, the focus is on recovering the countless bodies buried beneath the debris of the numerous collapsed buildings.
Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay says 131 construction workers have been detained or arrested.
As construction codes are rarely enforced in the country. It is believed that many of the buildings that collapsed were not robust enough.
The justice ministry has announced that it will establish a Bureau of Earthquake Crimes Investigation.
In some regions of Turkey, businesses and homes have also been reported looted. And the country’s justice minister reported on Sunday that 57 people had been arrested.
Some business owners have been spotted emptying their stores despite President Erdogan’s assertion that thieves will be dealt with severely.
As a result of “clashes between rival factions” and “guns fired” in a Turkish village, two German humanitarian organizations and Austrian rescuers also had to halt operations temporarily on Saturday.
