5,600 buildings destroyed by quake in Turkey – as civil war complicates rescue efforts in Syria
More than 5,600 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed by yesterday’s powerful earthquake and aftershocks – as the long-running civil war in Syria complicates rescue efforts there.
At least 4,159 people have died across both countries – and officials fear that the number of fatalities will rise further.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake happened before dawn on Monday, when many people would have been sleeping.
And while rescuers have spent the night scouring rubble, bitterly cold weather could reduce the time they have to find survivors.
More than 7,800 people in Turkey have been rescued across 10 provinces so far – and crews from around the world have been making their way to the epicentre to help.
In Syria, the earthquake and subsequent tremors further weakened the foundations of buildings that have borne the brunt of shelling and airstrikes during a decade of unrest.
The latest figures suggest more than 13,000 in Turkey have been injured – and in the city of Iskenderun, there was an enormous pile of debris where an intensive care unit once stood.
“We have a patient who was taken into surgery but we don’t know what happened,” said Tulin, a woman in her 30s who was stood outside the hospital and wiping tears from her eyes.
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‘A long night’ for volunteers after earthquake
Desperate scenes
Tens of thousands have been left homeless across Turkey and Syria – and spent last night in the cold.
About 20 miles away from the epicentre of the earthquake in Gaziantep, people took refuge in shopping centres, mosques, stadiums and community centres.
In a rebel-held enclave of Syria, four million people were already displaced before the powerful tremors struck – and many live in buildings wrecked by military bombardments.
A mound of concrete and steel roads lay where a multi-storey building once stood in Aleppo, with a thin young man expressing fears that 12 families could be trapped.
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Flattened streets at earthquake’s epicentre
The Syrian White Helmets, a rescue service in rebel-held territory, said they were in a “race against time” to save the lives of all those under rubble.
Imran Bahur’s apartment building in the Turkish city of Adana was also destroyed. She said her 18-month-old grandson was on the 12th floor, and begged for help in rescuing him.
Search crews working in Diyarbakir, another Turkish city, occasionally raised their hands and called for quiet – listening for signs of life.
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War-torn Syria struggles after quake
Syria asks for help
Syria’s UN ambassador Bassam Sabbagh has requested help from the United Nations – receiving assurance that member states will do everything possible in this “very difficult situation”.
He went on to stress that the government is ready to help and coordinate aid deliveries “to all Syrians in all territories of Syria”.
But as well as harsh winter weather, damage to roads and fuel shortages have hampered the UN’s response to the earthquake there.
“The infrastructure is damaged, the roads that we used to use for humanitarian work are damaged, we have to be creative in how to get to the people… but we are working hard,” UN resident coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih told the Reuters news agency.
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Turkey-Syria earthquake explained
Erdogan declares seven days of national mourning
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken to his US counterpart Joe Biden.
The White House said Mr Biden underscored “the readiness of the United States to provide any and all needed assistance” to Turkey – a NATO ally.
Two, 79-person urban search and rescue teams have been deployed by Washington – and discussions are ongoing about other forms of relief, including health services.
Rescue workers from the UK, Czech Republic and Germany have also been making their way to the epicentre.
World
Bodies of four Israeli hostages handed over by Hamas – as parading of coffins labelled ‘inhumane’
The bodies of an Israeli mother and her two children have been handed over by Hamas – as the process was labelled “inhumane” by the United Nations human rights chief.
Shiri Bibas, four-year-old Ariel, and nine-month-old Kfir were kidnapped from a kibbutz during the militant group’s October 2023 attack.
The children’s father, Yarden Bibas, was released on 1 February as part of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
Live updates – Hamas attacks Netanyahu as it releases bodies
Shiri Bibas was filmed cradling Ariel and Kfir as they were kidnapped by Hamas
The body of journalist and peace activist Oded Lifshitz, who was 83 when he was abducted, was also handed over.
Hamas has said they were all killed in Israeli airstrikes near the start of the war. The group has never provided evidence to back this up, while Israel has not confirmed the claims.
The Bibas family has become a powerful symbol of the 251 Israelis kidnapped on 7 October – not least because Kfir was the youngest taken.
The bodies were handed to the Red Cross in the Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday morning.
Oded Lifshitz, 84, was also taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Pic: Bring Them Home Now
Four black coffins were displayed on a stage before being put into vehicles and driven towards Israel as masked members of Hamas and other factions looked on.
United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, called the parading of the four bodies “cruel” and “inhumane” in a statement on Thursday.
He said: “Under international law, any handover of the remains of deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families.”
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‘The life he thought he was coming back to is gone’
Sky’s international correspondent, Diana Magnay, added that Hamas used the handover as a “propaganda opportunity” and had tried to send the message: “This was caused by you, you should take responsibility for it.”
“They had missiles on the stage where the four coffins were, saying they were killed by US bombs,” Magnay said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also depicted as a vampire in an image behind the dead hostages.
Sombre moment for Israelis – as Hamas uses opportunity for propaganda
The return of the bodies of four Israeli hostages is a “sombre moment” for everybody in Israel and Jews across the world, our international correspondent Diana Magnay says.
She says the two young boys, Ariel and Kfir, “really became a symbol of the tremendous suffering 7 October caused”.
“Now, to have them returned back in this way is tragic.”
Referring to the scenes of coffins being transferred to the Red Cross, Magnay says Hamas has chosen to use this “as a propaganda opportunity”.
“They have missiles on the stage where the four coffins were, saying they were killed by US bombs,” she explains.
She says Hamas’s main message is “this was caused by you, you should take responsibility for it”.
She adds that 7 October was caused by Hamas, and has brought “untold suffering to both Israel and Palestinians”.
Israel’s heart ‘in tatters’
At the family’s request, the Israeli military held a small funeral before the bodies were taken to a Tel Aviv laboratory for DNA tests to verify their identity.
Mr Netanyahu said it would be “a very difficult day for the state of Israel”, while President Isaac Herzog said “the hearts of an entire nation lie in tatters” and asked for “forgiveness for not protecting you”.
The coffins were displayed on a stage. Pic: Reuters
The Israeli military later received the four bodies. Pic: IDF
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) posted on X saying it could confirm that Mr Lifshitz was “murdered… in captivity by Islamic Jihad”.
It added: “We send our deepest condolences to his wife, Yocheved, and to the rest of his family.”
Israel previously said it was extremely concerned about the condition of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir but had never confirmed their deaths.
All four of the Israelis were abducted at Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of a number of communities overrun by Hamas on the day of the surprise attack.
Video showed Shiri Bibas appearing terrified as she cradled her boys while they were taken into Gaza.
The boys’ father Yarden Bibas was released earlier this month. Pic: Reuters
The family said this week their “journey is not over” until they receive confirmation of what happened to Shiri and the boys.
Meanwhile, six living hostages, the final due to be freed under the first phase of the Gaza truce deal, will also be released on Saturday, according to Hamas.
Israelis who survived being held prisoner in Gaza have been released in small groups since the first six-week phase began last month.
Three more – Alexander Troufanov, Sagui Dekel Chen and Iair Horn – were freed last weekend. The swap included 369 Palestinians, the most released so far.
The deal has provided a vital pause in the fighting that’s devastated Gaza and left tens of thousands dead.
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Israeli hostage hugs wife
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Israel said negotiations on the second phase of the deal and an extension to the ceasefire would start this week.
Foreign minister Gideon Saar said it would involve the remaining hostages being exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.
At least 1,200 people were killed in the attack that started the war.
Since then, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. Its figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters.
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