Rage and despair in the epicenters of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: "There is no aid, the situation is very bad" - Voila! news

In video: Earthquake damage in Turkey, Kermanmarsh, February 8, 2023 (Yoav Itiel)

Cold, hunger and despair grip hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria three days ago, while the death toll today (Thursday) reached 20,000 - more than the number of victims in the previous great earthquake that struck Turkey, in 1999. in which 17 thousand people perished.

In both countries, hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless in the dead of winter.

Many are sleeping in makeshift shelters in supermarket parking lots, in mosques, in stadiums on the sides of roads or among the rubble, and many of them are desperate for food, water and heating.

In Turkey, where 17,134 people were killed, displaced people at a gas station near the town of Kamalpesa collected clothes from donated cardboard boxes.

In the port city of Iskenderun, homeless residents gathered around bonfires on roadsides and in destroyed garages and warehouses.

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Thousands remain homeless in Turkey and Syria (Photo: Reuters)

The ruins after the noise in Turkey (Photo: Reuters)

The rescue of a two-year-old boy after 79 hours of being trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey, and the rescue of several others trapped have encouraged the weary search teams, but the hope of finding many more survivors in the ruins is dwindling.

Turkish authorities said about 6,500 buildings in the country collapsed and countless others were damaged.

According to officials in Turkey, about 13.5 million people live in the disaster zone that stretches over about 450 km, from Adana in the west to Diyarbakır in the east. In Syria, the earthquake left victims as far south as Hamat, which lies about 250 km from the epicenter.

Rescue of the wounded in Turkey (Photo: Reuters)

A Turkish official said the disaster posed "very serious difficulties" to the planned May 14 election, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to face his toughest challenge since coming to power two decades ago.

The anger of many of the residents in the epicenters of the disaster in Turkey over the slow delivery of aid and the delays in starting the rescue efforts may affect the results of the elections, if they do take place on time.

Erdogan declared a state of emergency in the ten provinces affected by the noise that would allow him to limit freedoms and other rights.

In addition to this, his government yesterday restricted the use of Twitter on the grounds that it was spreading "false information", but the opposition accused Erdogan of trying to silence criticism against him at a time when the transmission of information in real time is so critical.

Today, browsing on the social network returned to normal, after a meeting between government representatives and company members.

Displaced people after the noise in Syria (Photo: Reuters)

About 6,500 buildings in Turkey collapsed (Photo: Reuters)

In Syria, the total death toll rose to more than 3,000, as the first UN aid convoy crossed the border from Turkey into the rebel areas in the northwest of the country today. "Everyone here is children, and we need heating and supplies.

Last night we couldn't sleep because it was so cold.

It's very bad," said Munira Mohammed, a mother of four who fled from Aleppo to Idlib after the earthquake.

In Jandris, a town turned into ruins, Ibrahim Khalil Mankavin walked through the destroyed streets holding a white sack. He said he lost seven members of his family, including his wife. and two of his brothers. "I'm holding this sack for my brother, his youngest son and their wives so we can pack them in sacks," he said. "The situation is very bad.

And there is no assistance."

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• Earthquakes

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• Recep Tayyip Erdogan