Turkey-Syria earthquake live news: US seeks more Syria crossings

• Rescuers have continued to pull out more survivors from the rubble in Turkey and Syria as the death toll from last week’s earthquakes topped 33,000.
• The tremors have killed at least 29,605 people in Turkey as of Monday, and more than 3,500 in Syria. The death toll in Syria has not been updated for two days.

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• 11m ago (05:40 GMT)Qatar’s emir visits Turkey, expresses solidarity with quake victimsQatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul and expressed his support for and solidarity with the peoples of Turkey and Syria.“I met my brother President [Recep Tayyip Erdogan] today, and learned about the latest repercussions of the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria,” the emir tweeted late on Sunday.“We affirm our support and solidarity with our brothers and pledge to contribute to the efforts to mitigate this disaster,” he added.The Qatari emir was the first foreign leader to visit Turkey after last week’s devastating earthquakes.
• 41m ago (05:10 GMT)‘Miracle’ rescues continue in TurkeyRescuers in Turkey are continuing to pull out survivors from the rubble a week after a pair of earthquakes devastated the country’s southeast.Those rescued include 40-year-old Sibel Kaya, who was pulled from the rubble in the province of Gaziantep, some 170 hours after last week’s quakes.“Another miracle rescue came when teams pulled Erengul Onder, 60, from the rubble after 166 hours in Besni district of Adiyaman province,” Anadolu Agency reported.A seven-year-old boy and 62-year-old Nafize Yilmaz were rescued in Hatay after spending 163 hours under the rubble, the agency said.Brother of survivor Gokhan Ugurlu, 35, reacts as rescuers work in the aftermath of a deadly earthquake, in Hatay, Turkey, February 12, 2023 [Kemal Aslan/Reuters]
• 55m ago (04:56 GMT)North Macedonia, Albania mourn Turkey-Syria victimsNorth Macedonia and Albania are observing a day of mourning in memory of those who lost their lives in the Turkey-Syria earthquakes.North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said, “the thoughts and prayers of the citizens of North Macedonia are with the relatives of those who lost their lives” and pledged to continue to help the survivors, “those who lost everything”.Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his government was observing a day of mourning “as a sign of pain and prayer for the victims of the great tragedy on the Turkish-Syrian border” as well as “a sign of solidarity with our friend Turkey”.Both countries will be lowering their flags to half-mast, while Rama also called on Albanian citizens to light a candle in solidarity with the victims.
• 1h ago (04:40 GMT)More than 2,000 buildings destroyed, severely damaged in northwest SyriaThe Syrian Civil Defence group has said that some 550 buildings were completely destroyed in rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria following last week’s earthquakes.More than 1,570 were also severely damaged, said the group, also known as the White Helmets.Volunteers have begun opening roads that were partially or completely closed by rubble in several areas of northwest Syria, the group tweeted.
• 1h ago
•  (04:02 GMT)
• Red Cross China sends second batch of emergency aid to Syria
• The Red Cross Society of China has sent a second batch of supplies to earthquake-hit areas of Syria, including cotton tents, family kits, jackets, other daily necessities and medical equipment, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
• The latest supplies can meet the needs of more than 10,000 people, CGTN reported.
• 2h ago (03:22 GMT)Business owners in Turkey’s Antakya empty their shops to avoid lootersBusiness owners in a central district of Turkey’s Antakya city have emptied their shops to prevent their merchandise from being stolen by looters, according to the Reuters news agency. The city is one of the worst-affected by last week’s devastating earthquakes.Yuksel Uzun, the owner of an electronics store, was loading boxes of merchandise, including chargers and phone cases, onto two trucks with help from several others.“Our shop is in ruins. Swindlers and thieves have [looted] it. They took what they could. We are left with what they left behind,” he said, taking a break from loading the trucks.Uzun said he had seen supermarkets, pharmacies and various other businesses being broken into.“They looted everywhere. The market across the street, shoe stores … I saw them break into a pharmacy,” he said, adding he would store his merchandise outside the city.He said there were enough security forces in the city by Sunday but that there had not been in the first few days after the earthquake.“Police and soldiers who live here went through the same things as we did. So we cannot expect them to have taken the necessary measures for the first couple of days,” he said.Berkan Yogurtcuoglu, the store manager, said it was normal to loot supermarkets in the first days because aid and supplies only arrived later.“For the first few days, everybody looted supermarkets because they needed to. I looted a supermarket because I needed diapers for my kids,” he said.
• 2h ago (02:58 GMT)US calls on all parties in Syria to allow aid accessThe US has called on all parties in Syria to immediately grant humanitarian access to all those in need across the country.“All humanitarian assistance must be permitted to move through all border crossings, and distribution of aid must be permitted to all affected areas without delay,” a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said.Washington called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to grant immediate access to humanitarian assistance to all those in need, without exception, and urged him to follow through on a blanket authorisation for humanitarian assistance deliveries.A UN spokesperson said earlier that earthquake aid from government-held parts of Syria into opposition-controlled territory has been held up by “approval issues” with one armed group.Of the 3,500 deaths so far reported in Syria, the bulk occurred in the northwest, in territory largely held by the Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham.
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• As deaths mount, grief gives way to anger in Turkey
• When Zafer Mahmut Boncuk’s apartment building collapsed in Turkey’s devastating earthquake, he discovered his 75-year-old mother was still alive — but pinned under the wreckage.
• For hours, Boncuk frantically searched for someone in the devastated city of Antakya to help him free her, reported The Associated Press news agency. He was able to talk to her, hold her hand and give her water. Despite his pleas, however, no one came, and she died on Tuesday, the day after the quake.
• Like many others in Turkey, his sorrow and disbelief have turned to rage over the sense there has been an unfair and ineffective response to the historic disaster, the AP said.
• Boncuk, 60, directed his anger at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, especially because his mother seemed so close to rescue but no one came. Her remains were finally removed Sunday, nearly a week after the building collapsed. His father’s body is still in the rubble.
• “What would happen if it was your own mother, dear Recep Tayyip Erdogan? What happened to being a world leader? Where are you? Where?” he screamed.
• “I gave her water to drink, I cleared her face of rubble. I told her that I would save her. But I failed,” he told AP. “The last time we spoke, I asked if I should help her drink some water. She said no, so I rubbed some water on her lips. Ten minutes later, she died.”
• He blamed “ignorance and lack of information and care — that’s why my mother died in front of my eyes”.
• 3h ago (02:45 GMT)US urges UN vote on aid access to Syria via TurkeyThe US has called for the UN Security Council to “vote immediately” to authorise the delivery of UN aid to rebel-held northwest Syria through more border crossings from Turkey.Since 2014, the UN has been able to deliver aid to millions of people in need in the northwest part of war-torn Syria through Turkey under a Security Council mandate. But it is currently restricted to using just one border crossing.“Right now, every hour matters,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, said in a statement to the Reuters news agency. “People in the affected areas are counting on us.”“We cannot let them down — we must vote immediately on a resolution to heed the UN’s call for authorisation of additional border crossings for the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” she said. “It’s time to move with urgency and purpose.”
• SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES