Search operations continue in Turkey and Syria, each rescued is already a real miracle

The death toll from the earthquake on February 6 in Turkey and Syria with an epicenter near Gaziantep and subsequent aftershocks reached 28,191. This was reported by the AFP agency on Sunday, February 12. According to officials and doctors, 24,617 people became victims in Turkey, and 3,574 in Syria.

Meanwhile, UN Deputy Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, who arrived on February 11 in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, the worst affected by the earthquake, expressed the opinion that the death toll “will double or even more.” According to Griffiths, at this stage it is difficult to give any estimates, because it is necessary to sort out the rubble formed as a result of the impact of the elements.

But miraculous rescues still happen. In Adiyaman, in southeastern Turkey, after 128 hours, a woman was pulled out from under the rubble of a building – Emine Murat was taken out on a stretcher. Hopes to find living people under the ruins become illusory, at a rapid pace there is a struggle for every life.

However, the military from Austria and Germany suspended their work in Turkey due to the “increasingly complicated security situation.” This was announced on Saturday by a representative of the mission on Twitter. The AFP news agency reported clashes between unidentified groups and that the Austrian military had taken refuge in the camp along with other international organizations and were waiting for instructions.

Air Force edition tellsthat German rescuers and the Austrian army on Saturday suspended their search operations, citing clashes between unnamed groups. The Austrian Ministry of Defense later said that the Turkish army intervened to offer its protection, allowing rescue operations to continue. On Saturday morning, reports surfaced that clashes between unidentified groups in Hatay province forced dozens of Austrian Disaster Relief Unit personnel to seek shelter at the base camp with other international organizations.

“Gang-to-group aggression is on the rise in Turkey,” Austrian military lieutenant colonel Pierre Kugelweiss said in a statement ahead of the resumption of the Austrian rescue operation. “The chances of saving a life have no reasonable relation to the safety risk.”

This assessment was supported by the German branch of the search and rescue group ISAR, which, together with the German Federal Agency for Technical Assistance (TSW), also suspended operations. “There are more and more reports of clashes between different groups, and shots were also heard,” said ISAR spokesman Stefan Heine.

Stephen Byer, Isar’s operations manager, said he expects security to worsen as food and water supplies dwindle and hope fades. “We are following the development of the security situation very closely,” he said.

Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan did not comment on reports of unrest in Hatay, he confirmed on Saturday that the government would take action against those involved in crimes in the region. “We have declared a state of emergency,” Erdogan said yesterday during a visit to the disaster area. “This means that from now on, people involved in looting or kidnapping should know that the firm hand of the state is on their back.” State media reported on Saturday that 48 people were arrested for looting, AFP reported: several weapons were seized, as well as cash, jewelry and bank cards.

For the first time in 35 years, the Armenian-Turkish border was opened, through which humanitarian cargoes are delivered to the victims of the earthquake. Five trucks with humanitarian aid from Armenia crossed the border through the Alikan border checkpoint. Turkey closed the border in 1993, unconditionally supporting Azerbaijan during the first Karabakh war.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on Saturday in earthquake-hit Syrian Aleppo to inspect some hospitals and shelters with the Syrian health minister and the city’s governor. He said he brought with him 37 tons of medicines and emergency medical supplies.

The United Nations says the devastating earthquake in Syria could have left 5.3 million people homeless, with 200,000 in Aleppo alone.

How children were saved

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