Earthquake deaths in Syria and Turkey surpass 7,900: Shameless EU and G7
Nuray Lydia Oglu, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The powerful earthquake that hit Gaziantep in south-eastern Turkey with a magnitude of 7.8 is now known to have killed at least 7,900 people. Deaths are continuing to mount in Turkey and Syria. Therefore, the race against the clock is continuing – but with each passing hour, the chances of survival are diminished.
The death toll in Turkey (Turkiye) and Syria is horrendously high. Videos show buildings in Turkey collapsing rapidly. To make matters worse, the region is blighted by instability along the border between Turkey and Syria. Also, some shameful governments have been slow to provide support to Syria.
CNN reports, “The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey’s Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said.”
The death toll is currently 5,894 in Turkey and 2,032 in Syria. However, with thousands of buildings collapsing rapidly, freezing temperatures, and the remoteness of many areas – the death toll is expected to keep on rising.
Reuters reports, “Rescue workers struggled to reach some of the worst-hit areas, held back by destroyed roads, poor weather, and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas were without fuel and electricity.”
The number of collapsed buildings in Turkey is over 5,700.
Unlike the Russian Federation which is sending support to Syria and Turkey – many European Union and G7 nations are slow to support the Syrian government. It once more highlights that democracies and words expressing “humanity” are just words. Irrespective of where the earthquake hit – people need urgent support and the international community shouldn’t be playing politics.
AP reports, the government of Syria is “…sanctioned by the U.S. and European countries, which are reluctant to route aid directly through the government. American and EU officials have made clear the quake won’t change that.”
Khaled Hboubati, the head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, said his group is “ready to deliver relief aid to all regions of Syria, including areas not under government control.”
The European Union and G7 nations (including Japan) are playing politics while ordinary people are dying by the hour in Syria. Hence, while they are helping Turkey (rightly), they are not supporting Syria during this devasting period.
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