POINT ON THERE SITUATION – The earthquake killed at least 20,451 people, according to the latest official reports, including 17,134 in Turkey and 3,317 in Syria.
France, which releases 12 million euros for the Syrian population, the humanitarian aid which arrives in Syrian rebel areas, the death toll which continues to climb… Four days after the deadly earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 20,000 people according to a new official report (14,351 people in Turkey and 3,162 in Syria), Le Figaro takes stock of the situation.
More than 20,000 dead in the earthquake
More than 20,000 people died in the violent earthquake that shook southern Turkey and Syria on Monday, according to official reports published Thursday evening. According to Afad, a Turkish relief organization, 17,134 bodies have been cleared from the rubble at this stage, and 3,317 have been counted in Syria, according to official counts, bringing the total number of deaths to 20,451. According to Afad, Turkey also recorded 70,347 injuries.
Twenty-three million people are “potentially exposed, including around five million vulnerable people”, also believes the World Health Organization (WHO). She fears a major health crisis that would cause even more damage than the earthquake. Humanitarian organizations are particularly worried about the spread of the cholera epidemic, which has reappeared in Syria. The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) also announced on Thursday that he was “on his way” to Syria, “where WHO is supporting essential health care in areas affected by the recent earthquake, building on our longstanding work in the country”wrote Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Read alsoTurkey: the earthquake reveals the authorities’ lack of anticipation
Rescuers continue to search for victims and survivors trapped under rubble following a deadly earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, February 9, 2023. STOYAN NENOV / REUTERS
France releases 12 million euros for the Syrian population
France announced Thursday, February 6 that it would set up emergency aid to the Syrian population to the tune of 12 million euros after the earthquake. This aid will be distributedin conjunction with non-governmental organizations and the United Nations, in all regions affected by earthquakes“, declared François Delmas, spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifying that this did not otherwise change the”political approachof France vis-à-vis the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Of the 12 million, five will be released for the United Nations Humanitarian Cross-Border Fund (SCHF), five million will go to “several French and international NGOs working for emergency interventions in the areas of health, shelter, water, hygiene, sanitation and food security”explained François Delmas.
In addition, a contribution of two million euros is “under review” as programmed food aid, to meet the urgent food needs of the Syrian populations. With regard to Turkey where the epicenter of the earthquake occurred, France will send “in the next few hours 50,000 anti-diphtheria and tetanus vaccines offered by the S-Sanofi Collective Foundation and the Tulipe association for the affected populations“. France will also supportthe efforts of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) to the tune of 500,000 euros“.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey and Syria: France sends its field hospital
Syria: first aid convoy to rebel areas since the earthquake
The first convoy of aid to rebel areas in northwestern Syria since Monday’s deadly earthquake entered Thursday through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, according to the UN and an official at this crossing. An AFP correspondent saw six trucks, including tents, entering Syrian territory. “The first UN aid convoy entered today, four days after the earthquake”, told AFP Mazen Allouch, an official at the border post held on the Syrian side by the rebels. He said it was expected aid before the earthquake that hit Syria and Turkey on Monday, killing more than 19,000 people, including more than 3,200 in Syria, according to a provisional report. “It will be followed, God willing, as we have been promised, by larger convoys to help our stricken people”he added.
For its part, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) indicated in a press release that this convoy, made up of six trucks carrying blankets, mattresses, tents, relief equipment and solar lamps should cover the needs of at least 5,000 people. . But the organization of the White Helmets, rescuers who operate in rebel areas, has expressed its “disappointment”considering that this aid was “routine” and not specific to finding survivors under the rubble. “The UN aid in question is routine. It had stopped with the earthquake and has just resumed.reacted the NGO on Twitter. “It is certainly not about specific aid and equipment” to rescue teams.
» SEE ALSO – Syria: first aid convoy to rebel areas since the earthquake
Washington announces $85 million in aid for Turkey and Syria
The United States will provide $85 million in aid to Turkey and Syria, the United States Development Agency (USAID) announced Thursday, after the devastating earthquake that struck the two countries on Monday. USAID said in a statement that the funding will go to partners on the ground. “to provide the urgently needed aid to millions of people”.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey and Syria: why the earth is shaking so hard in the region
Minute of silence in Brussels
Meeting at a summit in Brussels, the leaders of the European Union – which is organizing a donor conference for Turkey and Syria in early March – observed a moment of silence for the victims of the earthquake, after sending a letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressing their “solidarity” with the Turkish people and offering to increase their aid to Turkey. The EU sent first aid to Turkey a few hours after the earthquake on Monday, at the country’s request. But it initially offered only minimal aid to Syria through existing humanitarian programs, due to international sanctions in place since the civil war began in 2011.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey and Syria: minute of silence at the National Assembly
Economic damage could reach $4 billion
The economic losses linked to the earthquake should “exceed $2 billion” And “could reach $4 billion or more“, affirmed the rating agency Fitch. However, the amounts insured are “much weaker», «maybe around a billion dollars“, believes Fitch, “due to low insurance coverage in the affected regions“.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey: in Iskenderun, entirely dependent on external aid
The World Bank announces aid of 1.78 billion dollars
The World Bank announced Thursday that it will provide aid of 1.78 billion dollars to Turkey, after the violent earthquake which shook southern Turkey and Syria on Monday and left at least 20,000 dead. “We are providing immediate assistance and preparing a rapid assessment of urgent and massive needs on the ground. This will help identify priority areas for the country’s recovery and reconstruction as we prepare operations to meet those needs.”said the president of the World Bank, David Malpass, quoted in the press release.
TO HAVE ALSO – Earthquake in Syria: emergency aid «should not be politicized“, according to the UN which is negotiating a crossing point