The United Nations has expressed fear that the number of dead in the earthquake may double.
Islamabad (Newshub Update Latest News 12 February 2023) Six days after the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the death toll in both countries has exceeded twenty-eight thousand. The United Nations has expressed fear that the number of dead in the earthquake may double. UN Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths have arrived in Turkey to assess the damage caused by the earthquake.
The death toll in Turkey has reached 24,517. The death toll in neighboring Syria is 3,553. However, the death toll in Syria is up to Friday as no figures have been released since then.
According to AFAD, Turkey's official agency for dealing with natural disasters, more than 2,000 aftershocks have been recorded since the first earthquake on Monday morning.
Germany Fast Track Visa Offer
Germany's Interior and Foreign Affairs Ministries have announced that earthquake victims in Turkey, who have relatives living in Germany, will be allowed to stay with their loved ones temporarily. The two ministries have also set up a task force to speed up paperwork and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks.
"The aim is to simplify the visa process for earthquake victims," said German Foreign Minister Annalina Bierbock.
In addition, German Interior Minister Nancy Fesser said that the process will be accompanied by the issuance of regular visas, which will be issued quickly and these visas will be for a period of three months. "We want to make it possible for Turkish or Syrian families in Germany to temporarily invite close relatives from the disaster areas," Interior Minister Nancy Fesser wrote on Twitter.
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It should be noted that a large number of Turkish or Turkish-origin residents outside Turkey live in Germany.
Aid to Syria 'unfair'
The EU envoy for Syria urged Damascus not to politicize humanitarian aid issues. The delegate rejected allegations that the EU had failed to provide aid to Syrian victims.
Dan Stoinescu said the EU has mobilized more than 50 million euros to provide first aid in both the Syrian government and rebel-held areas.
It is feared that the number of people alive buried under the rubble of the destroyed buildings will now be very less. According to official sources, more than one million earthquake victims are currently living in temporary shelters in Turkey alone. More than 160,000 workers are still engaged in relief operations in the earthquake-affected areas. Among them are about eight thousand aid workers who have arrived in Turkey from abroad.
Turkish authorities and aid agencies have turned their attention to helping survivors.
Appeal for help
The United Nations has warned that at least 870,000 people in Turkey and Syria are in immediate need of food following the earthquake. The World Food Program has appealed for $77 million to provide food to at least 590,000 displaced people in Turkey and 284,000 people in Syria.
Temperatures across the region are below freezing and many people do not have shelter. The Turkish government has distributed millions of blankets, hot meals, and tents, but officials are still struggling to reach those in need.
The devastation in Syria, wracked by a 12-year civil war, has created more problems. The World Food Organization has delivered food aid to 115,000 people in Turkey and Syria since the earthquake, and the World Health Organization has delivered 72 metric tons of surgical supplies.
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