Turkiye-Syria earthquake death toll passes 45,000
Turkiye-Syria earthquake death toll passes 45,000
ANTAKYA/KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkiye: More than 45,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria, and the toll is expected to soar with some 264,000 apartments in Turkiye destroyed and many still missing in the country’s worst modern disaster.
Eleven days after the quake hit, three survivors were dug out from the rubble in Turkiye on Friday. The death toll in Turkiye stands at 39,672, while neighboring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths. Syria’s toll has not changed for days.
Mosques around the world on Friday performed absentee funeral prayers for the dead in Turkiye and Syria, many of whom could not receive full burial rites given the enormity of the disaster.
While many international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, domestic teams continued to search through flattened buildings on Saturday hoping to find more survivors who defied the odds. Experts say most rescues occur in the 24 hours following an earthquake.
Hakan Yasinoglu, in his 40s, was rescued in the southern province of Hatay, 278 hours after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the dead of night on Feb. 6, the Istanbul Fire Brigade said.
Earlier, Osman Halebiye, 14, and Mustafa Avci, 34, were saved in Turkiye’s historic city of Antakya, known in ancient times as Antioch. As Avci was carried away, he was put on a video call with his parents, who showed him his newborn baby.
“I had completely lost all hope. This is a true miracle. They gave me my son back. I saw the wreckage and I thought nobody could be saved alive from there,” his father said.
An exhausted Avci was later reunited with his wife Bilge and daughter Almile at a hospital in Mersin.
Aid organizations say the survivors will need help for months to come with so much crucial infrastructure destroyed.
In neighboring Syria, already shattered by more than a decade of civil war, the bulk of fatalities have been in the northwest, an area controlled by insurgents who are at war with President Bashar Assad — a conflict that has complicated efforts to aid people affected by the earthquake.
The sides clashed overnight for the first time since the disaster, with government forces shelling the outskirts of Atareb, a rebel-held town badly hit by the earthquake, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
Reuters could not independently verify the report.
Thousands of Syrians who had sought refuge in Turkiye from their country’s civil war have returned to their homes in the war zone — at least for now.
Neither Turkiye nor Syria have said how many people are still missing following the quake.
For families still waiting to retrieve relatives in Turkiye, there is growing anger over what they see as corrupt building practices and deeply flawed urban development that resulted in thousands of homes and businesses disintegrating.
One such building was the Ronesans Rezidans (Renaissance Residence), which keeled over in Antakya, killing hundreds.
“It was said to be earthquake-safe, but you can see the result,” said Hamza Alpaslan, 47, whose brother had lived in the apartment block. “It’s in horrible condition. There is neither cement nor proper iron in it. It’s a real hell.”
Turkiye has promised to investigate anyone suspected of responsibility for the collapse of buildings and has ordered the detention of more than 100 suspects, including developers.
The United Nations on Thursday appealed for more than $1 billion in funds for the Turkish relief operation, and has launched a $400 million appeal for Syrians.
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Anger Grows in Turkiye at Shoddy Construction of ‘Earthquake-proof’ Homes
Residents of a luxury housing complex in southern Turkiye thought their apartments were 'earthquake-proof' until the structure toppled like a domino in last week's devastating earthquake, leaving hundreds feared dead.
Now the wreckage of the Ronesans Rezidans, which was advertised as "a piece of paradise" when it opened a decade ago, has become a focus of public anger.
Survivors stand by the pile of debris that was the 249-apartment block waiting for news of loved ones as hopes of their survival fade.
"My brother lived here for ten years... It was said to be earthquake safe, but you can see the result," said 47-year-old jeweller Hamza Alpaslan.
"It was introduced as the most beautiful residence in the world. It's in horrible condition. There is neither cement nor proper iron in it. It's a real hell," he added.
Eleven days after the quake that killed more than 43,000 in Turkiye and Syria and left millions homeless, outrage is growing over what Turks see as corrupt building practices and deeply flawed urban developments.
Turkiye's Urbanisation Ministry estimates 84,700 buildings have collapsed or are severely damaged.
While the Ronesans Rezidans, which translates as "Renaissance Residence", crumbled, several older buildings near the block still stood.
"We rented this place as an elite place, a safe place," said Sevil Karaabduloglu, whose two daughters are under the rubble.
Missing Ghanaian international footballer Christian Atsu who played for local team Hatayspor is also believed to have lived in the complex.
Dozens of people Reuters interviewed in the city of Hatay, where the complex stood, accused contractors of using cheap or unsuitable material and authorities of showing leniency towards sub-standard building constructions.
"Who is responsible? Everyone, everyone, everyone," said Alpaslan, blaming local authorities and building inspectors.
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The developer of the complex, Mehmet Yasar Coskun, was arrested at Istanbul Airport as he prepared to board a plane for Montenegro last Friday evening, according to Turkish state news agency Anadolu.
"The public is looking for a criminal, a culprit. My client was picked as this culprit," Coskun's lawyer Kubra Kalkan Colakoglu told prosecutors, according to court documents seen by Anadolu, adding he denied any wrongdoing.
According to Anadolu, Coskun told prosecutors the building was solid and held all necessary licences.
- ERDOGAN'S CONSTRUCTION BOOM
Turkiye has vowed to probe the collapse of buildings and is investigating 246 suspects so far, including developers, 27 of whom are now in police detention.
"No rubble is cleared without collecting evidence," said Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag.
"Everyone who had a responsibility in constructing, inspecting, and using the buildings is being evaluated."
President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party has put great emphasis on construction, which has helped drive growth during its two decades in years in power, although the sector suffered in the last five years as the economy struggled.
Opposition parties accused his government of not enforcing building regulations, and of mis-spending special taxes levied after the last major earthquake in 1999 in order to make buildings more resistant to quakes.
In the 10 years to 2022, Turkiye slipped 47 places in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index to 101, having been as high as 54 out of 174 countries in 2012.
Erdogan claims the opposition tells lies to besmirch the government and obstruct investment.
Three kilometres away from the Renaissance Residence is a damaged state building connected to Turkiye's Urbanisation Ministry and where locals and activists said vital documents relating to building safety and quality control were scattered among the debris.
Omer Mese, a lawyer from Istanbul, said he had been keeping watch over the rubble and is trying to save what could be vital evidence although some documents had been destroyed as people left homeless looked for anything they could burn for warmth.
"There were a lot of official documents with original signatures. It was essential to save and protect them... so that those responsible for this disaster can be brought to justice," he said, adding the papers included data on concrete and earthquake resistance tests.
"I read the news about contractors arrested after the earthquake but when we think about this destruction and its extent... there should be more," he added.
The Urbanisation Ministry said documents would be moved to the ministry archive in the city and were stored digitally.
- BUILDING AMNESTY
Sector officials have said some 50% of the total 20 million buildings in Turkiye contravene building codes.
In 2018 the government introduced a zoning amnesty to legalize unregistered construction work, which engineers and architects warned could endanger lives.
Some 10 million people applied to benefit from the amnesty and 1.8 million applications were accepted. Property owners paid to register the buildings, which were then subject to various taxes and levies.
The government said it was needed to remove disagreements between the state and citizens and legalise structures.
"Unfortunately the zoning amnesty in our country is somehow considered a public blessing," Mese said.
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Haaretz.
Israel, Saudi Arabia Reportedly in Talks Over Increasing Military and Intelligence Ties
The stepped-up talks, which are backed by the U.S., come amid the countries' shared concern about Iran, Bloomberg reports
Israel has increased dialogue with Saudi Arabia on developing closer military and intelligence ties amid growing worry over Iran, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.
“We think that other regions integrating and beginning to sit at the same table with Israel is in the interest of stability and security in the region,” said Dana Stroul, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia on Monday.
The talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are backed by the U.S., were held before the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Working Group gathering in Riyadh, which was focused on defense and security,?Bloomberg reported ?several anonymous sources involved in the meetings as saying.
More meetings between the two countries are expected to occur this weekend in Prague, during the Munich Security Conference, according to several of the sources.
Last month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the creation of a Palestinian state must?precede the establishment of formal diplomatic relations ?between the Arab world’s largest economy and Israel, Bloomberg News reported at the time.
“We have said consistently that we believe normalization with Israel is something that is very much in the interest of the region,” the foreign minister said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in Davos Switzerland. “However, true normalization and true stability will only come through giving the Palestinians hope, through giving the Palestinians dignity.”
“That requires giving the Palestinians a state, and that’s the priority,” he said.
Since normalizing ties with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the U.S. brokered Abraham Accords, Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have sought to expand on that breakthrough and bring in other Arab countries.
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