Turkey-Syria earthquake: Doctor describes the conditions in Syrian hospital with ‘dying children’ and ‘no electricity’

Published

1 year ago

February 7, 2023

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A doctor in an earthquake-stricken region of northern Syria described the hospital he was working at as “reminiscent of a warzone”.

Frantic efforts to rescue hundreds trapped under rubble are continuing after a huge earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early on Monday, killing more than 3,500.

Dr Osama Sallom, of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), is working at the Bab Al Hawa Hospital, which has received over 400 casualties and reported over 50 deaths.

“Most of the patients are children who are bleeding and dying from the cold [after being stuck under debris],” Dr Sallom said.

“We are looking under the rubble, but it’s very cold. It’ll be -1 or -2C for rescue teams working overnight.

“We receive more and more patients every hour and our hospital is overwhelmed with patients filling the hallways.”

Dr Sallom said there is a “huge lack of staff and equipment” at the hospital and all the wards were occupied by patients, mainly women and children.

“All our beds are full – people are having to lie on the ground. After a few hours we will have no space left on the ground,” he said.

“It’s reminiscent of a warzone – it’s giving many people traumatic memories.

“Every moment I hear ambulances come in with more casualties. The chance to save people goes down every hour.”

SAMS responded to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Syria, Turkey, and the region of Atareb, where the hospital is located, on Monday morning.

Dr Sallom said the border was completely closed and patients could not be referred to Turkey, which has put a lot of strain on the hospital he is working in.

He said: “We have to deal with complicated injuries ourselves – we only have one CT scanner and we don’t have specialist equipment. There’s a huge need for the CT scan, but [patients] have to wait three or four hours for a scan.”

He also spoke of the continuous aftershocks which came along “every five minutes” and were “very strong”.

He added: “It’s catastrophic and we are afraid ourselves. My friend, the manager of the hospital, lost his family while my wife and child are in Turkey.”

‘I’m so sad’

The situation reminded Dr Sallom of the Aleppo bombings in 2016 which destroyed hospitals, houses and killed hundreds of civilians.

He said: “I’m so sad – this incident is worse for Syrians because we have lived a lot of years as a war-torn country.

“Now we have the same feeling.

“We are losing hope to rescue children because of a huge need for consumables and medication which will run out in the coming hours.”

World

Jay Slater: Search for missing British teenager in area of Tenerife called off by police

Published

5 hours ago

June 30, 2024

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Jay Slater: Search for missing British teenager in area of Tenerife called off by police

The search for Jay Slater in an area of Tenerife has been called off, police have said, nearly two weeks after his disappearance.

The British teenager, from Oswaldtwistle, near Blackburn in Lancashire, has been missing in Tenerife since 17 June, when he vanished the morning after a rave.

The Civil Guard called for volunteers to join a new search in the Masca area – near his last-known location – on Saturday.

It has now confirmed to Sky News that the search has ended. Police are keeping the investigation open and could yet open up searches in the south of the island, but have not provided an update.

A handful of volunteers turned up to help rescue teams on Saturday, forming a total group of 30 to 40 people scouring a huge area of rugged and hilly terrain.

Mr Slater, 19, had been on holiday with friends on the Spanish island and was last pictured at Papayago, a nightclub hosting the end of the NRG festival, late on 16 June.

After the event ended, he got in a car travelling to a small Airbnb in Masca with two men, who police said on Saturday are “not relevant” to the case.

His last known location was the Rural de Teno Park in the north of the island – which is about an 11-hour walk from his accommodation.

A local cafe owner told Sky News he tried to catch a bus back to Los Cristianos, where he was staying.

Ofelia Medina Hernandez said she spoke to the teenager at 8am on 17 June, telling him a bus was due at 10am – but he set off walking and she said she later drove past him “walking fast”.

The apprentice bricklayer called a friend holidaying with him at around 8.30am on 17 June and said he was going to walk back after missing the bus.

He also told his friend he was lost and in need of water, with only 1% charge on his phone.

On Friday, Mr Slater’s friend Brad Hargreaves told ITV’s This Morning he had been on a video call with him before his disappearance when he heard him go off the road.

He said he could see his friend’s feet “sliding” down the hill and hear he was walking on gravel.

Meanwhile, Mr Slater’s family shared a blurry image of what they believe could be the missing teenager captured on CCTV in a nearby town 10 hours after he was first reported missing.

Local police and the Civil Guard, along with Mr Slater’s family, have been involved in the search.

Since his disappearance, rumours and conspiracy theories have emerged amid online speculation on social media.

Some social media sleuths have even travelled to Tenerife to try and find him.

World

Polls open in French election that could see far-right in government

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2024

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Polls open in French election that could see far-right in government

Voters in France are heading to the polls today for a parliamentary election that could usher in the country’s first far-right government since the Second World War.

French President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise vote after his centrist alliance was soundly beaten in the European elections by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally earlier this month.

Voting began at 8am (7am UK time), closing at 4pm in smaller towns and 6pm in bigger cities. A winner may be apparent on Sunday night.

France has a semi-presidential system, which means it has both a president and a prime minister.

The voting taking place today will determine who is prime minister but not president, with Mr Macron already set on remaining in his role until the end of his term in 2027.

If Ms Le Pen’s party wins an absolute majority, France would have a government and president from opposing political camps for only the fourth time in post-war history.

How does the election work?

There are 577 constituency contests, one for each seat in the National Assembly, which is the lower house of parliament.

Candidates with an absolute majority of votes in their constituency are elected in the first round.

In most cases, no candidate meets this criteria and a second round is held, which will be next Sunday – 7 July – when the final outcome will be confirmed.

To qualify for the run-off, candidates need first-round votes amounting to at least 12.5% of registered voters.

The top scorer wins the second round.

When will we have a result?

Voting ends at 8pm (7pm UK time), when pollsters publish nationwide projections based on a partial vote count.

Official results start trickling in, with counting usually fast and efficient and the winners of almost all seats likely to be known by the end of the evening.

World

New York Times calls on Biden to quit race after disastrous debate

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2024

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New York Times calls on Biden to quit race after disastrous debate

A defiant Joe Biden has attacked Donald Trump at a rally a day after the president’s “shocking” performance in a head-to-head debate.

His showing in the debate against Trump on Thursday night was described as an “unmitigated disaster” by some in his own party after he paused and stumbled his way through, prompting calls for him to step down.

Adding to those calls, The New York Times urged the president to quit the race to give another candidate a better chance at defeating Trump.

“Mr Biden has been an admirable president,” the newspaper said in a piece by its editorial board.

“But the greatest public service Mr Biden can now perform is to announce that he will not continue to run for re-election.”

It added: “As it stands, the president is engaged in a reckless gamble. There are Democratic leaders better equipped to present clear, compelling and energetic alternatives to a second Trump presidency.

“There is no reason for the party to risk the stability and security of the country by forcing voters to choose between Mr Trump’s deficiencies and those of Mr Biden.”

‘I can do this job’

Mr Biden has tried to quell anxieties since his performance. At a rally in North Carolina, he appeared to acknowledge the criticism, but struck a defiant tone.

“I don’t walk as easy as I used to, I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to, I don’t debate as well as I used to, but I know what I do know,” said Mr Biden. “I know how to tell the truth.”

“I give you my word as a Biden, I wouldn’t be running again if I did not believe, with all my heart and soul, I can do this job,” he told the rally.

Mr Biden attacked the former president’s criminal record, calling Trump a “one-man crimewave”.

“My guess is he set a new record for the most lies told in a single debate,” he added, telling the crowd he spent “90 minutes on the stage debating a guy with the morals of an alley cat”.

Hours later, Donald Trump was jubilant at a rally in Chesapeake, Virginia.

“Never mind that crooked Joe Biden spent a week at Camp David, resting, working, studying – he studied so hard he didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” Mr Trump told the crowd.

“Biden’s problem is not his age, […] he’s got no problem other than his competence. He’s grossly incompetent,” he added.

Bad debate nights happen

Barack Obama tweeted his support for President Biden on Friday evening, saying: “Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know.”

Joe Biden had a cold and sore throat during last night’s debate, the White House said.

But others remained unconvinced he should run for president.

“I do not think President Joe Biden can be the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer in 2024,” former White House director of global engagement Brett Bruen told Sky News’ Yalda Hakim.

“Last night’s performance was astonishingly bad. You cannot just be strong on the teleprompter,” he said.

But Anthony Scaramucci, former White House communications director, blamed the president’s poor performance on his preparation.

“He wasn’t prepped right for that debate. He’s an older man,” Mr Scaramucci told Yalda Hakim.

“You don’t fill his head with facts and figures he’s never going to remember.”

There have been repeated calls for President Biden to step down.

It’s “time to talk about an open convention and a new Democratic nominee,” one Democratic politician told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.

However, while Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that President Joe Biden had a “slow start” in the debate, she insisted that he finished “strong”.

President Biden’s campaign spokesperson said there are no conversations taking place about the president stepping aside from his re-election bid.

He also still plans to take part in the next debate against Donald Trump, which is slated for 10 September, said the spokesperson. They added that last night’s debate has not changed the campaign strategy.

At a Waffle House restaurant in Atlanta after the debate, Biden told reporters he did not have concerns about his performance. “It’s hard to debate a liar,” he said.