Turkey-Syria earthquake: ‘Our hands cannot pick anything up’ – frustrated Turks criticise Erdogan’s response to disaster
Turkey’s president has admitted there have been “shortcomings” in his country’s reaction to the devastating earthquake that has killed over 12,000 people.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing growing criticism from families left frustrated by a slow response from rescue teams, as hope dwindles that more survivors will be found.
Many Turks have complained of a lack of equipment, expertise and support to help those who are trapped – leaving them helpless as they hear cries from under the rubble.
Turkey-Syria earthquake – latest updates
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to an earthquake survivor. Pic: AP
During a visit to Hatay province, where more than 3,300 people have died and entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed, Erdogan said: “It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster. We will not leave any of our citizens uncared for.”
Similar issues are being reported in neighbouring Syria, with the country’s UN ambassador conceding the government has a “lack of capabilities and a lack of equipment”.
Across Turkey and Syria, many of those in areas hardest hit by the 7.8 magnitude quake – and subsequent aftershocks – are afraid of going back into buildings.
“We survived the earthquake, but we will die here due to hunger and cold,” one man in the Turkish city of Antakya said.
Some survivors are still being found – with footage showing a young girl in pyjamas and an older man holding an unlit cigarette between his fingers being lifted from debris.
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Dead bodies lie in the streets
Chances of survival are diminishing
According to experts, the survival window for those trapped is now closing rapidly – but nonetheless, it is too early to abandon all hope.
Natural hazards expert Steven Godby said: “The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%.”
And David Alexander, a professor of emergency planning and management at University College London, said: “Statistically, today is the day when we’re going to stop finding people. That doesn’t mean we should stop searching.”
He went on to warn that the final number of fatalities may not be known for many weeks because of the sheer amount of rubble spanning Turkey and Syria.
Read more:
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How you can help save lives
Is more aid being sent to Turkey than Syria?
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‘My children are in the building’
‘Our hands cannot pick anything up’
While some rescue teams have access to excavators, others have little choice but to use their bare hands.
Ozel Pikal, who assisted with search efforts in the Turkish city of Malatya, fears some of those trapped may have frozen to death after temperatures fell to -6C.
“As of today, there is no hope left in Malatya. No one is coming out alive from the rubble,” he said.
Mr Pikal warned that damage to local roads – and a shortage of rescuers – was exacerbating attempts to save people.
He added: “Our hands cannot pick anything up because of the cold. Work machines are needed.”
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British rescue dogs helping search in Turkey
Erdogan hits back at critics
Turkey’s president has pledged that the government will distribute 10,000 Turkish lira (£440) to families affected by the earthquake.
The natural disaster comes at a testing time for Mr Erdogan, who is facing an already challenging election campaign in May – fuelled by high inflation and an economic downturn.
Speaking to reporters, he criticised those spreading “lies and slander” about his government’s actions – and said it was a time for unity and solidarity.
“I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,” he added.
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Young boy receives water
Police in Turkey have been attempting to crack down on misinformation related to the earthquake response, and have arrested 18 people and identified over 200 accounts accused of “spreading fear and panic”.
Some internet service providers in the country have also restricted access to Twitter – affecting trapped survivors who have been using the social network to alert rescuers and their families.
The Turkish government has been known to temporarily restrict access to social media during national emergencies and terror attacks – and Twitter’s owner Elon Musk said: “We are reaching out to understand more.”
World
Body of missing rabbi Zvi Kogan found in UAE – as Israeli PM says he was murdered in ‘antisemitic terror incident’
The COP29 climate talks have reached a last ditch deal on cash for developing countries, pulling the summit back from the brink of collapse after a group of countries stormed out of a negotiating room earlier.
The slew of deals finally signed off in the small hours of Sunday morning in Azerbaijan includes one that proved hardest of all – one about money.
Eventually the more than 190 countries in Baku agreed a target for richer polluting countries such as the UK, EU and Japan to drum up $300bn a year by 2035 to help poorer nations both curb and adapt to climate change.
It is a far cry from the $1.3trn experts say is needed, and from the $500bn that vulnerable countries like Uganda had said they would be willing to accept.
But in the end they were forced to, knowing they could not afford to live without it, nor wait until next year to try again, when a Donald Trump presidency would make things even harder.
Bolivia’s lead negotiator Diego Pacheco called it an “insult”, while the Marshall Islands’ Tina Stege said it was “not nearly enough, but it’s a start”.
UN climate chief Simon Stiell said: “This new finance goal is an insurance policy for humanity, amid worsening climate impacts hitting every country.
“No country got everything they wanted, and we leave Baku with a mountain of work still to do. So this is no time for victory laps.”
The funding deal was clinched more than 24 hours into overtime, and against what felt like all the odds.
The talks were rocked from the start by the incoming presidency of climate denier Mr Trump, the moment Argentina’s team were recalled back to Buenos Aires by their right-wing president and a controversial letter that sent shockwaves through the United Nations.
Pic: AP
The fraught two weeks of negotiations pitted the anger of developing countries who are footing the bill for more dangerous weather that they did little to cause, against the tight public finances of rich countries.
A relieved Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, climate envoy for Panama, said there is “light at the end of the tunnel”.
Just hours ago, the talks almost fell apart as furious vulnerable nations stormed out of negotiations in frustration over that elusive funding goal.
They were also angry with oil and gas producing countries, who stood accused of trying to dilute aspects of the deal on cutting fossil fuels.
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Climate-vulnerable nations storm out of talks
The UN talks work on consensus, meaning everyone has to agree for a deal to fly.
A row over how to follow up on last year’s pledge to “transition away from fossil fuels” was left unresolved and punted into next year, following objections from Chile and Switzerland for being too weak.
A draft deal simply “reaffirmed” the commitment but did not dial up the pressure in the way the UK, EU, island states and many others here wanted.
Saudi Arabia fought the hardest against any step forward on cutting fossil fuels, the primary cause of climate change that is intensifying floods, drought and fires around the world.
Governments did manage to strike a deal on carbon markets at COP29, which has been 10 years in the making and will allow countries to trade emissions cuts.
‘Not everything we wanted’
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The UK’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said the deal is “not everything we or others wanted”, but described it as a “step forward”.
“It’s a deal that will drive forward the clean energy transition, which is essential for jobs and growth in Britain and for protecting us all against the worsening climate crisis,” he added.
“Today’s agreement sends the signal that the clean energy transition is unstoppable.
“It is the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century and through our championing of it we can help crowd in private investment.”
Protesters at the summit in Baku. Pic: AP
Read more:
Azerbaijan president hails oil and gas as ‘gift from God’
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The Azerbaijan team leading COP29 said: “Every hour of the day, we have pulled people together. Every inch of the way, we have pushed for the highest common denominator.
“We have faced geopolitical headwinds and made every effort to be an honest broker for all sides.”
At least 20 people have been killed and 66 injured in Israeli strikes on central Beirut, Lebanese authorities have said.
Lebanon‘s health ministry said the death toll could rise as emergency workers dig through the rubble looking for survivors. DNA tests are being used to identify the victims, the ministry added.
The attack destroyed an eight-storey residential building and badly damaged several others around it in the Basta neighbourhood at 4am (2am UK time) on Saturday.
The central Basta neighbourhood in Beirut
The Israeli military did not warn residents to evacuate before the attack and has not commented on the casualties.
At least four bombs were dropped in the attack – the fourth targeting the city centre this week.
A separate drone strike in the southern port city of Tyre this morning killed two people and injured three, according to the state-run National News Agency.
The victims were Palestinian refugees from the nearby al Rashidieh camp who were out fishing, according to Mohammed Bikai, spokesperson for the Fatah Palestinian faction in the Tyre area.
Israel’s military warned residents today in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs that they were near Hezbollah facilities, which the army would target in the near future. The warning, posted on X, told people to evacuate at least 500 metres away.
The army said that over the past day it had conducted intelligence-based strikes on Hezbollah targets in Dahiyeh, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. It said it hit several command centres and weapons storage facilities.
Pic: AP
Israel has killed several Hezbollah leaders in air strikes on the capital’s southern suburbs.
Heavy fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is ongoing in southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces push deeper into the country since launching a major offensive in September.
According to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 3,670 people have been killed in Israeli attacks there, with more than 15,400 wounded.
It has displaced about 1.2 million people – a quarter of Lebanon’s population – while Israel says about 90 soldiers and nearly 50 civilians have been killed in northern Israel.
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‘Dozens’ of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike
Meanwhile, six people, including three children and two women, were killed in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.
Some 44,176 Palestinians have been killed since the start of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but it has said that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage.
US envoy Amos Hochstein was in the region this week to try to end more than 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, ignited last October by the war in Gaza.
Mr Hochstein indicated progress had been made after meetings in Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday, before going to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Israel Katz.
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