Turkey-Syria earthquakeAt least 10 days after a devastating earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria, a 17-year-old girl was safely rescued and pulled alive from the rubble.
Minor girl Alina Olmez was called a miracle girl when she was pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey on Thursday (February 16), nearly 248 hours after the February 6 earthquake, ten days after the disaster sent rescue efforts into recovery operations. was transferred.
At least 41,000 people have been killed in Turkey and neighboring Syria after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake, according to officials. Efforts to evacuate survivors have been hampered by bitter cold in quake-hit areas, while officials grapple with the challenges of transporting aid in northwestern Syria amid a humanitarian crisis complicated by years of political strife.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit earthquake-hit Turkey on February 19
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Turkey on Sunday to oversee relief efforts after a major earthquake. Blinken will tour the Incirlik air base through which aid is flowing, and then hold talks with senior Turkish officials in the US capital, Ankara. announced the State Department. “Secretary Blinken will visit Innerlik Air Base in Turkey on February 19 to support US efforts to help Turkish authorities respond to the devastation caused by the February 6 earthquakes,” said a statement from US State Department spokesman Ned Price. can be seen.”
He also reported that Blinken would then travel to Ankara, where he would meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and other senior Turkish officials “to further strengthen and continue U.S. support for Turkey and the Turkish people in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes.” to discuss ways to “our partnership with Turkey as an important NATO ally. “Secretary Blinken will also thank the government of Turkey for cross-border assistance to affected areas of Syria. In particular, Blinken will travel to Germany, Turkey and Greece on February 16-22, 2023.
UN appeals for $1 billion to help Turkey earthquake survivors
The United Nations on Thursday launched an appeal for $1 billion to help 5.2 million survivors of Turkey’s most devastating earthquake in modern history, 397 million to help some 5 million Syrians across the border in the rebel-held northwest. Two days after starting the dollar appeal.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric was questioned as to why the appeal to Turkey targeted only 5.2 million people while according to the UN and the government more than 15 million were affected. He was also asked why Turkey’s appeal is 2½ times greater than Syria’s for helping roughly the same number of people. He added that Turkey’s appeal “was prepared in very close cooperation with the government of Turkey, which is leading the relief efforts.”
“It is a number that has come to focus on those who need humanitarian assistance most, most quickly and where the UN can be most effective,” Dujarric said. He added that Turkey has “a very efficient search and rescue and humanitarian system.”
Regarding the disparity in the amount of appeals, he said, the reason is that “there is already a well-established humanitarian community that is working in Syria,” and that there was a humanitarian appeal of $4.8 billion before the earthquake of 2023. Syria for
(with inputs from agencies)
Read also: Turkey-Syria earthquake: WHO urged to ensure cross-border humanitarian aid delivery Description