Thank you for following The New Arab's live coverage of the Turkey-Syria earthquake, this live blog has now ended.
Follow The New Arab on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.
Aid focus turns to homeless in Turkey-Syria quake aftermath, more survivors found
The death toll continues to climb from last week's devastating earthquake that hit southeast Turkey and northwest Syria despite more survivors being pulled from the rubble, as aid agencies work to help people who have lost their homes.
7 min read
Thank you for following The New Arab's live coverage of the Turkey-Syria earthquake. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and developments.
International aid agencies are stepping up efforts to help millions of homeless people, many sleeping in tents, mosques, schools or cars, 11 days after the massive 7.8 earthquake hit Turkey and Syria killing more than 43,000.
The quake killed at least 38,044 people in southern Turkey, officials said on Friday, while authorities in neighbouring Syria have reported 5,800 deaths - a figure that has changed little in days. The Syrian regime says the death toll in the territory it controls is 1,414, while the majority of deaths are in the rebel-held northwest.
Neither county has said how many people are still missing.
The United Nations on Thursday appealed for more than $1 billion in funds for the Turkish relief operation, just two days after launching a $400 million appeal for Syrians.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, who visited Turkey last week, said the people had "experienced unspeakable heartache", adding: "We must stand with them in their darkest hour and ensure they receive the support they need."
Across the border in northwest Syria, the United Nations said more than 140 UN trucks had gone through the rebel-held border crossings since the earthquake, two of which recently opened.
6:01 PM
5:41 PM
WHO seeks $84.5 million for earthquake response in Turkey, Syria
The World Health Organization appealed on Friday for $ 84.5 million to respond to health needs after the earthquake in both Turkey and Syria.
"The flash appeal outlines the health situation in the two countries following this humanitarian disaster, the main threats to health, the WHO response since the earthquakes hit and priorities for addressing the health impacts in both countries," the U.N. agency said in a statement.
(Reuters)
3:55 PM
Man rescued from rubble 11 days after earthquake in Turkey: Anadolu news agency
A man was rescued on Friday from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the southern province of Hatay, 11 days after a massive earthquake struck the area last week, killing more than 43,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
While some international rescue teams have left the vast quake zone, survivors were still emerging from under a multitude of flattened homes, defying all the odds.
1:37 PM
Over 140 aid trucks have entered rebel-held Syria since quake: UN
More than 140 trucks carrying desperately-needed aid have crossed into rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey since a giant earthquake devastated the region last week, the United Nations said Friday.
"Since February 9 up to last night, we had a total of 143 trucks going through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salama border crossings," Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, told reporters in Geneva.
"The movements continue today. They continue over the weekend and will continue every day for as long as the needs are there."
UN aid trucks cross through Bab al-Hawa into northwest Syria [Getty]
1:30 PM
FIFA allocates $1 million for humanitarian aid in Turkey, Syria
FIFA has allocated $1 million to its FIFA Foundation to provide humanitarian aid to people affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, soccer's world governing body said on Friday.
FIFA said it had consulted with the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and the Syrian Football Association (SFA), as well as "international and local non-governmental organisations".
The FIFA Foundation is to provide USD 1 million in aid to victims of the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria.
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) February 17, 2023
All of our thoughts are with those who have been affected ❤️
"The aid will be used to purchase and distribute essential humanitarian items, as well as to provide emergency and temporary shelter and protection," FIFA said in a statement.
"FIFA will continue to collaborate with the TFF and SFA, while monitoring the situation and deciding on further action."
The Premier League said last week that it will be donating one million pounds ($1.19 million), while European soccer governing body UEFA and its UEFA Foundation for Children is donating an initial 200,000 euros
Millions have been affected and made homeless by the earthquake [Getty]
11:19 AM
Syrian family of seven dies in fire after surviving quake
Five Syrian children and their parents died on Friday in a fire that struck a Turkish home they moved to after surviving last week's earthquake, local media reported.
بعد نجاتهم من الزلزال جنوبي #تركيا.. مقتل 7 أفراد من عائلة سورية في حريق بمنزل في مدينة #قونيا التركية #سوريا #زلزال_سوريا_تركيا pic.twitter.com/IgtaoVeIJg
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) February 17, 2023
The family had relocated to the central region of Konya from the southeastern Turkish city of Nurdagi, which was badly hit by the February 6 quake, to stay with relatives.
The Anadolu state news agency said the five children were aged between four and 13.
"We saw the fire but we could not intervene. A girl was rescued from the window," local resident Muhsin Cakir told Anadolu.
9:03 AM
Mother rescued
Neslihan Kilic, a 29-year-old mother of two, was removed from the rubble of a building in Kahramanmaras, after being trapped for 258 hours when a forklift operator lifted her bed and noticed her hand move, the private DHA news agency reported late Thursday.
Miracles can still happen even in the 258th hour after the earthquake in Turkey. Neslihan Kılıç has been rescued alive from the rubble. Let's keep hope alive and continue to support the ongoing rescue efforts.pic.twitter.com/zxmkH6T2DQ
— Daily Turkic (@DailyTurkic) February 16, 2023
Her father, Cuma Yalcinoz, had been waiting outside the building. "I believed she would come out," he said. "I had a feeling." Kilic’s husband and children were still missing.
8:52 AM
Syrian regime forces, rebels clash in quake-hit region-report
Syrian regime forces and rebels have clashed overnight in northwest Syria for the first time since an earthquake devastated the region on February 6, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Friday.
Regime and rebel forces also clashed in another part of the northwest near the regime-held town of Saraqeb, while regime forces shelled the outskirts of two villages in Hama province, the Observatory reported.
#المرصد_السوري
— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) February 16, 2023
اشتباكات بين الفصائل وقوات النظام على محاور سراقب.. وقوات الأخيرة تقصف أرياف حلب وحماة وإدلبhttps://t.co/24fDFfmyjs
The Observatory said regime forces had shelled the outskirts of the rebel-town of Atareb. This coincided with clashes with heavy machine guns between government and rebel forces at a nearby frontline, it said.
Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said 235 people in Atareb and the nearby areas had died in the earthquake.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
(Reuters)
Atareb in the Aleppo governorate was badly hit in the earthquake [Getty]
8:40 AM
Teen, two men rescued in Turkey nearly 11 days after quake
Turkish rescuers pulled a 14-year-old boy and two men nearly 11 days after the huge earthquake, a minister said Friday, as rescue efforts wind down.
Osman, 14, was rescued 260 hours after the 7.8-magnitude tremor struck Turkey's southeast and Syria, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.
14 yaşındaki Osman 260’ıncı saatte, yoğun çabaların sonucunda tekrar aramızda. Şu an Hatay Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Hastanesinde ilk tıbbi müdahalesi gerçekleştiriliyor. Hepimiz adına yavrumuzun yanındayım. pic.twitter.com/4S5aXp6lMc
— Dr. Fahrettin Koca (@drfahrettinkoca) February 16, 2023
He shared an image of the adolescent with his eyes open on a stretcher and said Osman had been taken to hospital in Antakya in the quake-devastated Hatay province.
Rescuers found Osman after hearing sounds in the rubble, Anadolu state news agency reported.
One hour later, rescuers elsewhere saved two men aged 26 and 33 in Antakya, Koca said, also sharing images of the men receiving treatment from health workers.
The DHA news agency named the men as Mehmet Ali Sakiroglu, 26, and Mustafa Avci, 33, and said they had been rescued from the same building's rubble.
34-year-old Mustafa Avci talks to a relative on the phone right after being rescued at the 261st hour #TurkiyeQuakes pic.twitter.com/wXVXNUYVky
— TRT World (@trtworld) February 17, 2023
"I'm well, there are no issues," Avci says during a call to a loved one in a video shared by Koca.
The unseen man on the other end of the line breaks down before Avci asks, "How are my mother and others?".
"They're all well, they're waiting for you," the man on the other end of the line shouts, as a small smile of relief appears on Avci's face.
Sakiroglu (seen) and two others were found over 260 hours after the quake [Getty]
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
More In News
![22 Arab countries at COP29 have rejected the targeting of fossil fuels [Getty]](/sites/default/files/styles/image_156x88/public/2024-11/GettyImages-2184289638.jpg?h=199d8c1f&itok=u-9dMsuE)
![Dozens of people turned out for the funerals [Getty]](/sites/default/files/styles/image_156x88/public/2024-11/GettyImages-2185229760.jpg?h=e7c891e8&itok=YkVn2PND)