Earthquake death toll exceeds 7,800

As rescue efforts continue, the death toll is expected to rise. “It is a race against time,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We have activated WHO’s network of emergency medical teams to provide essential health care to the most injured and vulnerable.”

While many people are believed to be trapped under the rubble, the bitter cold weather is making rescue efforts much more difficult. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared a state of emergency in 10 provinces. "We are facing one of the biggest disasters, not only in history, but also in the geography of Turkey and the world . The biggest consolation is that more than 8,000 people have been rescued from the rubble," Anadolu news agency quoted Erdogan as saying on February 7. According to the Turkish president, the government will allocate about 100 billion lira ($5.3 billion) for emergency assistance.

However, according to experts, the thousands of deaths in both Türkiye and Syria due to the earthquake have exceeded the rescue and relief capacity of any single country. Therefore, the international community has also accelerated support for the two countries.

Faced with the severe consequences caused by the earthquake, on February 6 and 7, India sent professional search and rescue teams along with sniffer dogs, military field hospitals and relief materials in four heavy military transport aircraft to Turkey.

The Lebanese army said it would send 35 engineers to Syria and Türkiye to support rescue efforts in both countries. The Lebanese Civil Defense, which conducts search and rescue operations and firefighting, is also sending specialized units to support rescue efforts in Syria and Turkey. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Red Crescent said it would send rescue teams to the two countries at the request of the Syrian and Turkish governments.

On February 7, King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia directed the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center to establish an airlift to assist victims of the earthquake in Syria and Turkey. The airlift will help provide medical services, accommodation, food, and logistical support to mitigate the impact of the earthquake on people in Syria and Turkey. The King and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia also ordered a charity campaign through KSrelief's Sahem Platform.

On the same day, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered the dispatch of five military planes carrying emergency medical aid to Türkiye and Syria to contribute to the relief efforts. In two separate phone calls with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, President El-Sisi expressed condolences over the loss of life caused by the earthquake, and stressed Cairo's readiness to send humanitarian aid and relief supplies to help the people of Syria and Türkiye.

Also on February 7, the first relief flights from Jordan and Kuwait took off loaded with rescue equipment, tents, logistics and medical supplies for earthquake victims in Syria and Türkiye. Jordan also sent a rescue team of 99 members from the country's International Search and Rescue Team along with five doctors from the Royal Jordanian Medical Service to join the rescue operations.

Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced on February 7 that the country will provide 10,000 mobile apartments to Turkey and Syria, "in Qatar's efforts to support people affected by the earthquake in Syria and Turkey." Previously, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani ordered the establishment of an air bridge to support earthquake victims in Turkey./.

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