Update: Death Toll Climbs Above 4300 As Turkey Receives Urgent Assistance From NATO And 47 Countries

Turkey requested assistance from NATO nations after two devastating earthquakes on February 6 destroyed its southern and southeast provinces and left more than 4300 people dead.

A deadly earthquake that tore across Turkey and Syria has claimed more than 4,300 lives, and rescuers are frantically trying to pluck survivors from the rubble on both sides of the border.

 

Around 4 a.m. on Monday, one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the area in a century jolted residents out of their beds and sent tremors as far as Lebanon and Israel.

 

According to Yunus Sezer, Turkey’s director of disaster services, at least 2,921 people were killed and more than 15,800 others were injured in Turkey.

 

At least 1,451 individuals have died in nearby Syria. 711 individuals have killed in government-controlled areas, predominantly in Aleppo, Hama, Latakia, and Tartus, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

Since the accident, other NATO nations as well as Turkey’s neighbors in the Balkans have promised to help.

According to France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, 139 civil security rescue personnel will go to Turkey on Monday night to help with search and rescue operations.

 

In a tweet, Darmanin said the response came at the request of the president of the republic, and is part of the European solidarity mechanism.

France stands in full solidarity with Turkey in these terrible circumstances, the minister added.

Also, US President Joe Biden has authorized an immediate U.S. response to the disaster.

Jill and I were deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes that have thus far claimed thousands of lives in Turkiye and Syria. My Administration has been working closely with our NATO Ally Turkiye, and I authorized an immediate U.S. response,

Our teams are deploying quickly to begin to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and address the needs of those injured and displaced by the earthquake,? Biden said.

 

He added that U.S.-supported humanitarian partners are also responding to the destruction in Syria.

Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani said Qatar?s International Search and Rescue Group (QSART) will fly to Turkey through the air bridge as soon as Monday, carrying with them specialized rescue and search vehicles, and relief aid, tents and winter supplies to set up field hospitals upon arrival, Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.

Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also ordered the establishment of the air bridge to send urgent aid and medical staff, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said in a statement.

Also, The UN said it is ready to support emergency response efforts following the deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted on Monday.

I am deeply saddened by the news of the devastating earthquakes in T�rkiye & Syria, and offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, he wrote.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday has led to a catastrophic situation in Syria, an official of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) told CNN.

What we are seeing inside Syria really is a catastrophic situation, said Mark Kaye, IRC’s policy, advocacy and communications director for Middle East and North Africa.

The earthquake has made the situation worse for the already vulnerable and displaced populations in Syria, specifically the rural areas, Kaye said.

For this area, you have to remember: This population [was] already highly vulnerable. They have a huge amount of people who have already been displaced  sometimes as many as 20 times … Almost the majority of them are women and children, particularly vulnerable to the harsh weather and this earthquake, Kaye said.