Aid arrives in Syrian rebel areas, the UN calls not to politicize this aid... Four days after the deadly earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 17,100 people according to a new official report,
Le Figaro
takes stock of the situation.
Death toll exceeds tragic 1999 Izmit earthquake
This Thursday, a latest assessment communicated by the authorities of Turkey and Syria reports more than 17,100 dead, exceeding the sinister assessment of the earthquake of Izmit, in Turkey, in which 17,000 people had lost in 1999.
Visiting Gaziantep (south), one of the Turkish cities affected, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the number of 14,014 dead and more than 60,000 injured for Turkey alone, while 3,162 people were killed in Syria according to reports officials.
In Syria, six relief trucks sent to rebel areas
At the same time, four days after the powerful deadly earthquake, the first aid convoy to the rebel areas of northwestern Syria was sent.
He entered Thursday through the Bab al-Hawa border post with Turkey, an official at the crossing told AFP.
Six trucks, loaded in particular with material for tents and cleaning products entered Syrian territory, AFP noted.
According to Mazen Darwich, the border post official, this is aid that was expected before the earthquake that shook Syria and Turkey on Monday.
UN calls for 'not politicizing' humanitarian aid in Syria
Earlier in the morning, the UN had received assurances that part of the emergency humanitarian aid
"would pass this Thursday"
through the only authorized crossing point between Turkey and the north-west of the Syria, indicated the UN special envoy, Geir Pedersen in Geneva.
“We had assurances that we could get the first humanitarian aid
through,” through the Bab al-Hawa crossing point, Mr. Pedersen had indicated during a brief press briefing, also calling
“for do not politicize”
aid to the Syrian population hard hit by the earthquakes at the beginning of the week.
