LANCASTER: The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Türkiye and Syria on Feb 6 has climbed above 30,000, and it continues to rise by the hour as more grim discoveries are made under the rubble.
Search and rescue efforts are well under way in Türkiye after an initially slow response, but have yet to really take off in northern Syria. Syrians in rebel-controlled areas were kept waiting for help due political tensions and shattered infrastructure following the earthquake and more than 10 years of conflict.
So far, nobody knows how many people are still stuck under the rubble. Ovgun Ahmet Ercan, a Turkish earthquake expert, told The Economist he had estimated that 180,000 people or more may be trapped under the rubble, nearly all of them dead.
A United Nations convoy finally gained access to northern Syria on Thursday (Feb 9) morning – a day after what is considered to be the critical 72-hour window for finding survivors. But hopes of a really effective rescue mission were dashed as there was no heavy search and rescue equipment provided. Now the survival rate of people trapped under the rubble stands at less than 6 per cent.
To avoid losing more lives and reduce suffering, the international aid response will now be more critical than ever. Based on my doctoral research which focused on humanitarian aid in conflict and political crisis situations, here are the key priorities.
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