Seven million children affected, an emergency appeal for donations of nearly 400 million dollars, the granting of emergency visas envisaged... Nine days after the deadly earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria, making 39,106 dead (35,418 officially in southern Turkey and 3,688 in Syria),
Le Figaro
takes stock of the situation.
Nearly 40,000 dead
On the evening of Tuesday February 14, the death toll from the earthquake rose to 39,106 – 35,418 officially in southern Turkey, while the authorities counted 3,688 in Syria.
On Sunday, the UN said it expected those numbers to increase significantly.
“
We are witnessing the worst natural disaster in the WHO Europe region in a century and we are still measuring its magnitude
,” said an official from the World Health Organization.
Rescue teams continue to search for victims and survivors in Kahramanmaras, February 14, 2023. OZAN KOSE / AFP
Call for donations in the face of the “tremendous needs” of the populations
The UN Secretary General on Tuesday launched an emergency appeal for donations of nearly 400 million dollars to help the populations affected by the earthquake in Syria for three months.
“
Today, I am announcing that the UN is launching a humanitarian appeal for $397 million for the populations affected by the earthquake that devastated Syria.
This will cover a period of three months
,” Antonio Guterres told reporters, adding that an equivalent appeal for donations for Turkey was in preparation.
Read also“25 hours to get a victim out”: two French rescuers tell of the chaos after the earthquake in Turkey
He called on all member states to "
fully and without delay fund
" this appeal for donations, to guarantee "
the humanitarian aid that nearly 5 million Syrians desperately need, including shelter, medical care, food
".
"
The needs are immense
" and "
we all know that the aid that saves lives does not come in at the speed and on the scale necessary
," insisted the Secretary General.
A week after the devastating earthquakes, millions of people across the region are struggling to survive, homeless and facing freezing temperatures
.”
Paris considers granting emergency visas
The French government plans to grant emergency visas to the families of foreigners staying regularly in France who were victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, on the condition of guaranteeing the safety of France.
"
The question calls for a joint assessment between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior
," said Catherine Colonna, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was questioned on the subject on Tuesday at the National Assembly.
She explained that in the face of a "
terrible tragedy, the establishment of ad hoc arrangements, as has been done in the past, is possible"
while adding that this required "
careful consideration in order to guarantee reception in secure conditions for our territory
”.
Read also“It’s terrible, the city of Antakya no longer exists”: after the earthquake, Turkey buries its dead in chaos
In Syria, the areas beyond the control of Damascus in the north of the province of Aleppo and in that of Idlib (north-west), where nearly three million people live, are among the most affected by the earthquake.
But this area is also partly under the influence of the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Cham (HTS), hence the precautions of the French authorities.
With regard to foreigners currently in Turkey and Syria, and who hold a residence permit in France, they will be accompanied “
to accelerate their return to our country
”, indicated Catherine Colonna.
More than seven million children affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria
More than seven million children are affected by the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria, Unicef said on Tuesday, fearing that several thousand of them may have lost their lives.
“
In Turkey, the total number of children living in the ten provinces affected by the two earthquakes was 4.6 million children.
In Syria, 2.5 million children are affected
,” James Elder, a spokesperson for the organization, told a regular press briefing in Geneva.
“
Children and families desperately need additional support.
Many staff from our local partner organizations and frontline responders have been killed, injured, displaced, and their offices and equipment destroyed
,” he added.
Unicef fears that "
several thousand children have been killed
".
These figures, explained the spokesperson, have not been verified but it is clear that they “
will continue to increase
”.
Read alsoEarthquake in Turkey: Erdogan under fire from critics three months before the elections
According to Unicef, tens of thousands of families, living outside in open areas, are exposed to the cold.
"
Every day there are reports of increasing numbers of children suffering from hypothermia and respiratory infections
," said James Elder, noting that families are sleeping with children in the streets, malls, schools , mosques, bus stations and under bridges.
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/E2SOPDAIKRGJPJY4T2WETDP77I.jpg)
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/KMEYMJKESBAZBE4MRBAM4TGHIQ.jpg)
