More than 2,700 people have died and another 14,000 have been injured in the series of devastating earthquakes that have shaken southeastern Turkey, near the border with Syria, leaving thousands of buildings flattened where survivors continue to be searched in medium low temperatures. In Turkey, the most current count raised the number of deaths to 1,651 and injuries to 11,119, according to data reported by the Minister of Health, Fahrettin Koca. In Syria, immersed in a civil war for more than a decade, the information on victims comes, on the one hand, from the Government of Bashar al-Assad and, on the other, from the last enclave of the country controlled by the opposition, surrounded by government forces supported for Russia. In the area controlled by the regime, the latest figures spoke of 570 dead and 1,403 injured, according to the SANA agency. In the northwestern province of Idlib, the last opposition stronghold, and in other parts of neighboring Aleppo outside the control of Damascus, at least 480 people have been killed and some 1,500 injured, according to the White Helmets rescue group. These opposition areas, bordering Turkey, are closer to the epicenter, so there is less ability to coordinate the count, as there is no single government authority in charge of rescue operations. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recalled today that in these opposition areas, "strongly" Affected by the earthquake, there are 4.1 million people who depend on humanitarian aid to survive, and who are mostly women and children. That body explained that communication with the ground is difficult due to interruptions "Chronicles" in telephone and internet services, to which is added information about alleged roadblocks in northwestern Syria, as well as in Turkish territory. The Syrian Foreign Ministry called on the UN, NGOs and government organizations to "support" the government’s efforts to deal with the "humanitarian catastrophe", according to a statement released by the official news agency, SANA. In Turkey, the authorities reported that more than 3,700 buildings have been destroyed or badly damaged, and that the government wants to start tomorrow the controlled evacuation of those who need to leave the ten provinces most affected by the disaster. Afad, the Turkish emergency service, has reported that it has deployed more than 9,700 rescuers. Thirteen European Union (EU) countries offered search and rescue teams on Monday, the European Commission reported, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said a total of 45 nations have offered help. In several of the 10 hardest-hit Turkish provinces, there have been gas and electricity cuts, and cracks have appeared in some reservoirs, although authorities say there is no structural damage. The first major earthquake was recorded at 4:17 a.m. (01:17 GMT) and had a magnitude of 7.7, according to the Turkish emergency service Afad, with its epicenter in Pazarcik in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras. Subsequently, up to 145 more tremors occurred, one of them measuring 7.6 at 10:24 GMT.
"As debris removal work continues in many buildings in the earthquake zone, we do not know how high the number of deaths and injuries will be", declared Erdogan this morning The president declared seven days of national mourning throughout the country. The low temperatures and the snow in the area, where there are also mountainous territories that are difficult to access, complicate the rescue tasks. However, in the province of Kahramanmaras, an 18-year-old woman has been found alive 12 hours after the tremor, and in Diyarbaki, a man was rescued after 14 hours trapped, Anadolu agency reports. The quake was also strongly felt in Lebanon, including Beirut. One of the symbols of the enormous destruction of the quake is the historic Roman castle of Gaziantep, which had stood for more than 1,700 years and has been leveled by the quake. The historic citadel of Aleppo in Syria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has also suffered damage. The Turkish authorities have announced the closure of schools in the ten most affected provinces and all sports competitions have also been suspended.