Death toll rises above 4,800 after Turkey, Syria earthquakes
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared seven days of national mourning, and Syria has appealed to the United Nations for help following devastating earthquakes that killed more than 4,800 people and toppled buildings across southeast Turkey and northern Syria, Aljazeera reported. Authorities fear the death toll from Monday’s predawn magnitude 7.8 temblor, followed by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and several aftershocks will continue to climb as rescuers looked for survivors among tangles of metal and concrete spread across a region already suffering under Syria’s 12-year civil war and a refugee crisis. Rescuers searched through the frigid night into Tuesday morning, hoping to dig more survivors out of the rubble as those trapped cried out for help from beneath mountains of debris.
Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), gave the number of dead in the county at 3,381 on Tuesday morning, while 20,426 others were injured. Tatar said more than 5,700 buildings had also been destroyed.
In Syria, at least 1,444 people were killed and about 3,500 others were injured, according to the Ministry of Health and the White Helmets rescue organisation. Freezing winter weather conditions and snowfall in the devastated region have added to the plight of many thousands of people left injured and homeless by the earthquake. Downed buildings and destroyed roads have hampered efforts to find survivors and get crucial aid into affected areas.
KMC demolishes Maitidevi-based police beat (In pictures)
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City demolished a police beat in Maitidevi on Tuesday.
The KMC said that the police beat was bulldozed as part of the campaign to demolish illegal structures within the metropolis.
The structure was built by encroaching upon the road. People had been facing difficulties in walking due to the building.
SAARC level Climate Change Journalist Forum formed
South Asian journalists reporting on climate change and environmental issues have formed a regional forum to highlight the growing climate crisis and the need for increased climate actions in the region. The South Asian Climate Change Journalist's Forum (SACCJF) elected an 18 members Executive Committee representing all SAARC countries last Sunday after rounds of consultations among the member countries. The forum has also finalized its constitution and working procedures. According to the forum, Asish Gupta (India) and Karamot Ullah Biplob (Bangladesh) were elected the President and Executive President respectively. The forum has elected three Vice Presidents, namely, Mahinda Pathirana (Sri Lanka), Shree Ram Subedi (Nepal) and Mohammad Rabnewaz Chowdhury (Pakistan). Also, Asaduzzaman Samrat (Bangladesh) was elected to the post of Secretary General, Bhishma Raj Ojha (Nepal) and Rae Munavvar (Maldives) to the post of Assistant Secretary-General and Masum Billah (Bangladesh) has been elected as the Treasurer of the Forum. The executive members of the forum include, C K Nayak, Kuntak Chatterjee, Sunit kumar Bhuyan (all from India), Rinzin Wangchuk (Bhutan), Imran Y. Choudhry, K J Faiza Gillani (Pakistan), Kelum Bandara (Sri Lanka), Pragati Dhakal (Nepal) and Rafiqul Islam Sabuj (Bangladesh). The South Asian Climate Change Journalists’ Forum made its debut with journalists from South Asia at the World Climate Conference (COP 27) held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November last year. The forum will organize its general assembly later this year. SAARC member countries will have their national chapters to be represented to the regional body. The organization has begun its process to get recognition from SAARC, the forum said in a statement.
Dozens dead as 7.8-magnitude earthquake hits southern Turkey
At least 59 people were killed in two countries after one of the strongest earthquakes to hit Turkey in more than 100 years sent tremors across the region, collapsing buildings and sending residents running into the streets, CNN reported.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, Gaziantep province at a depth of 24.1 kilometers (14.9 miles), the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. Nurdagi is located along the Turkey-Syria border and the quake was felt in several countries across the region, including Syria and Lebanon.
At least 17 people were killed in Turkey, according to local officials, while in neighboring Syria, at least 42 people died and around 200 more were injured, Syrian state run news agency SANA reported, citing a health ministry official.
In Syria, the deaths were reported in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia, SANA said. Dozens of people are trapped under rubble, according to the “White Helmets” group, officially known as Syria Civil Defense, according to CNN.
The quake struck while residents were likely asleep and unprepared for the impact. Video shared on social media show dozens of collapsed buildings, while frightened residents huddled on the darkened streets amid the chaos. Rescue workers can be seen conducting search-and-rescue operations by flashlight.
Monday’s quake is believed to be the strongest to hit Turkey since 1939, when an earthquake of the same magnitude killed 30,000 people, according to the USGS. Earthquakes of this magnitude are rare, with fewer than five occurring each year on average, anywhere in the world. Seven quakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater have struck Turkey in the past 25 years – but Monday’s is the most powerful.
Karl Lang, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech University’s School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, told CNN the area hit by the quake Monday is prone to seismic activity. “It’s a very large fault zone, but this is a larger earthquake than they’ve experienced any time in recent memory,” Lang said
