8th February 2023 – (Istanbul) As of 12am Hong Kong time, A total of 5,261 people across Turkey and Syria have been killed in the earthquake that struck the region on Monday The number of people killed in Syria is more than 1,712. Syria’s White Helmets said on Tuesday that more than 900 people have been killed in opposition-held areas. In government-controlled areas, the death toll is 812.
In Turkey, the death toll is 3,549 and more than 25,000 injuries are reported. Meanwhile, three British nationals are missing. Christian Atsu, a professional soccer player who once played in England’s Premier League, was rescued.
The only crossing between Syria and Turkey that is approved by the United Nations for transporting international aid into Syria is not functioning because of earthquake damage to roads around it, according to U.N. officials, complicating an already fraught response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis. United Nations has also announced a US$25 million grant from its central emergency funds for relief operations in Turkey and Syria
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced a three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces worst-affected the deadly earthquake. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi extended condolences to his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad over the loss of lives in the earthquakes in Syria. Meanwhile, Syrian red crescent chief on Tuesday called for lifting the U.S. and Western sanctions on Syria to facilitate relief efforts as the earthquake-stricken country is in dire need of rescue equipment.