24/7 Space News
SHAKE AND BLOW
Toll rises to above 44,000 after Turkey-Syria quake
Toll rises to above 44,000 after Turkey-Syria quake
By Gregory Walton
Antakya, Turkey (AFP) Feb 18, 2023

The death toll on Saturday rose to more than 44,000 from the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria with the body of former Ghana international footballer Christian Atsu also found beneath a collapsed building in Antakya.

The numbers of people found alive under the rubble have dropped to only a handful in recent days and the head of Turkey's disaster agency, Yunus Sezer, said rescue operations would be "largely completed" by Sunday night.

State news agency Anadolu initially reported on Saturday three people were found alive nearly two weeks after the the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit on February 6. But the agency later reported that one of them, a 12-year-old, had died.

Anadolu images showed rescuers placing a man and a woman on stretchers after the married couple and a child spent 296 hours under the rubble in the southeastern Turkish city of Antakya.

The agency later reported three of their children had died including the 12-year-old.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca shared a video of the 40-year-old mother in a field hospital receiving treatment. "She is conscious," he tweeted.

AFP correspondents said rescuers from Kyrgyzstan continued working in Antakya with the hope of finding more people pulled out alive after thermal tests showed signs of life.

Teams on Friday pulled four people alive from the rubble, including a 45-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy, in the surrounding Hatay province.

- Lax building standards -

Rescues that were initially met with applause and relief, have in recent days been greeted more soberly.

Officials and medics said that 40,642 people had died in Turkey and 3,688 in Syria from the quake, bringing the confirmed total to 44,330. The toll from Syria has remained unchanged for days.

The quake -- in one of the world's most active seismic zones -- hit populated areas as many slept, in homes that had not been built to resist such powerful tremors.

The disaster has put pressure on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over the slow response to the quake and why his government allowed such poor-quality buildings to be erected.

Turkish officials had promised after a quake in 1999 killed more than 17,000 people in northwestern Turkey that building regulations would be strengthened.

Footballer Atsu's manager confirmed on Saturday his body had been found beneath a collapsed building in Antakya.

The building where he died, a 12-storey luxury block of flats, was built in 2013 when Turkey had tougher rules on construction.

Atsu's block toppled over, causing outrage in Turkey over how a relatively new building was unable to withstand a quake.

Turkish police have since arrested the building's contractor after he tried to flee the country.

- 'Not right to leave' -

Officers have arrested dozens of contractors as the government promises to crack down on lax building standards.

More than 84,000 buildings either collapsed, need urgent demolition or were severely damaged in the quake, officials said.

One of the areas severely hit was Antakya, an ancient crossroads of civilisations.

The city has suffered several earthquakes -- almost one every 100 years -- and is no stranger to rebuilding.

"We will clean up and continue living here," said optician Cuneyt Eroglu, 45, sifting through the wreckage of his shop, surrounded by twisted glasses and paraphernalia.

Unlike other parts of the old town, the street in front of his shop has not yet been cleared of the rubble and twisted metal that engulfed much of the city.

Eroglu, whose family escaped the quake uninjured, is now staying in a tent in a village outside Antakya.

"It wouldn't be right to leave Antakya," he said.

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
SHAKE AND BLOW
Turkey's deadly quake renews alarm for Istanbul
Istanbul (AFP) Feb 17, 2023
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed tens of thousands across Turkey's southeast has reignited fears of an even more catastrophic death toll if a long-feared one hits Istanbul. Seismologists warn that a massive earthquake is likely to strike Turkey's biggest city - officially home to 16 million people but estimated to hold up to 20 million - by 2030. The city lies on the northern edge of one of Turkey's main fault lines and is densely packed. A 7.6-magnitude earthquake with an epicentr ... read more

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
SHAKE AND BLOW
Roscosmos is delaying the launch of the replacement Soyuz for crew return

NASA launches new Framework for Procurement Ideas, Solutions

Saudi Arabia to send its first woman into space

Russia launches resupply ship to int'l space station

SHAKE AND BLOW
Russian Progress cargo craft docks at space station suffers loss of coolant

NASA conducts first 2023 test of redesigned SLS rocket engine

SpaceX test fires Starship Super Heavy Booster's 31 Engines

Vulcan: Rocket stacked for inaugural launch

SHAKE AND BLOW
Let's Drill: Sols 3742-3743

Preparing to drill Dinira: Sols 3737-3738

The first in the universe, but what's next

NASA awards Mars mission launch to Blue Origin

SHAKE AND BLOW
Chinese astronauts complete first walk outside Tiangong space station

Shenzhou XV astronauts take their first spacewalk

Shenzhou XV astronauts to conduct first spacewalk

China's Deep Space Exploration Lab eyes top global talents

SHAKE AND BLOW
FCC greenlights Amazon's Project Kuiper to deploy 3,236 satellites in LEO

MDA secures new contract to supply Ka-band multibeam antennas for Argentina's ARSAT-SG1 Satellite

AST SpaceMobile announces collaboration with Zain KSA

AST SpaceMobile announces collaboration with TIM

SHAKE AND BLOW
'Magic' solvent creates stronger thin films

Space Station research announcement for advanced materials and manufacturing open now

Smart contact lens with navigation function, made with 3D printer

Turkey's once mighty developers under fire after quake

SHAKE AND BLOW
New models shed light on life's origin

Researchers focus AI on finding exoplanets

A nearby potentially habitable Earth-mass exoplanet

Two nearby exoplanets might be habitable

SHAKE AND BLOW
JUICE's final take-off before lift-off

A new ring system discovered in our Solar System

SwRI models explain canyons on Pluto moon

NASA's Juno Team assessing camera after 48th flyby of Jupiter

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters


ADVERTISEMENT



The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2023 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.