The balance sheet should increase further.
For now, the two earthquakes that have shaken Turkey and Syria have claimed the lives of 2,921 people in Turkey (15,834 injured) and at least 1,440 in Syria (3,500 injured).
International aid will be deployed on Tuesday with the arrival of French and Qatari rescuers in Turkey.
The French plan to go to Kahramanmaras, epicenter of the first earthquake, a region difficult to access and deeply bruised buried under the snow.
In detail, these are “
71 rescuers and 4 dogs from the Nogent-le-Rotrou Civil Security Training and Intervention Unit No. 1
”, and “
65 firefighters and 6 dogs from the Île-de-France defense and security zone
”.
Relief sent from Mexico MEXICO PRESIDENCY / REUTERS
US President Joe Biden has promised "
all the necessary help, whatever it is
" to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who assured that he could count on help from 45 countries.
As for Syria, its call for help has only been echoed by its Russian support, which has promised rescue teams “
in the next few hours
”.
The Russian army assured that 300 of its soldiers were already on the job.
Read alsoEarthquake: Turkey and Syria in shock
The UN has offered to help, insisting that it be for "
all Syrians throughout the territory
", as the quake hit the Islamist-controlled northwest of the country on the border with Turkey.
In addition, around 20 Islamic State terrorists escaped from a military prison in Rajo, controlled by pro-Turkish rebels.
National mourning
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared seven days of national mourning in Turkey on Monday.
Many Heads of State and Government, including the Greek Prime Minister, a traditional rival, offered their condolences to the families of the victims.
"
Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the enormous loss of human life caused by the earthquake
," wrote Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, number two of the Holy See, in a telegram published by the Vatican.
Relief in Diyarbakir (formerly Amida), Turkey.
SERTAC KAYAR / REUTERS
The toll could get much worse.
"
There is a continuing potential for additional collapses and we often see numbers eight times higher than the initial numbers
," an emergency manager from the WHO's European office, Catherine Smallwood, told AFP. .
“
We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately.
That is to say, the first reports of the number of people killed or injured are going to increase quite significantly within the next week
,” she explained.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey and Syria: why the earth is shaking so hard in the region
Especially since, despite a strengthening of anti-seismic legislation, the region hit by the earthquake is dotted with illegal constructions or historic buildings that do not meet the standards.