February 6, 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake news

Two search and rescue units from the United States will be sent to Turkey to assist with the aftermath of the earthquake, US Ambassador to Turkey Jeff Flake told CNN on Monday.

“There will be two teams from the US. One from Fairfax County and another from Los Angeles — what they call these heavy units, each with I think 70 personnel with search dogs as well as paramedics,” Flake said. “That’s what we are told is needed.”

Flake said that Turkey is going to need help with destroyed structures, saying that the last he knew was that 28 buildings were either down or partially damaged.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with his counterpart on Monday, the State Department said.

“Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister [Mevlüt] Çavuşoğlu discussed ways the United States and our partners could best assist. Secretary Blinken confirmed our initial assistance response was already underway and pledged to do all that we can in coordination with Türkiye to assist the victims of the earthquake in both Türkiye and Syria,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said. 

In terms of getting support into Syria, Flake noted there are a number of humanitarian and church groups the US has worked in the country. He said it makes it “doubly difficult” that there is no functioning government in Syria. 

Flake suggested that Americans direct donations through the Red Cross, non-profits and church groups if they want to help.

As the death toll rises and rescue workers continue to search for survivors, thousands more seek shelter after their homes were destroyed or damaged too badly to be safe. Here are some of the images we've seen as darkness falls across the region.

Syrians urgently need assistance after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit part of the country and Turkey early Monday, United Nations' Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen said.

"I reiterate the Secretary-General's call on the international community to help the thousands suffering from loss. Syrians urgently need global assistance," Pederson said.

The death toll across Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 3,452 after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southern Turkey early Monday.

The total number of injured in Turkey and Syria climbed to 15,762 on Monday.

The total death toll in Turkey has climbed to 2,316, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). 

The total death toll in Syria rose to 1,136. SANA reports 656 across government-controlled areas and the "White Helmets" group, officially known as the Syria Civil Defense, reported 480 deaths in opposition-controlled areas.

Turkey has at least 13,293 and Syria has 2,469 injured people following the devastating earthquake.

Iraq has announced it will send aid to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, according to a statement released Monday from Iraq's prime minister, Mohammed S. Al-Sudani.  

"Iraq set up today an air bridge to both Syria and Turkiye to send urgent relief aid, which includes emergency medical supplies, first aid, and shelter supplies and medicine and fuel," Al-Sudani explained.  

Following the order of al-Sudani, Iraqi Military transport aircraft sent the first shipment of humanitarian, medical, and food aid to Damascus Airport in Syria, the Iraqi defense ministry said in a statement on Monday.  

The defense ministry said this is "to alleviate the burden of the crisis that Syria is going through after the catastrophe of the earthquake that struck," Turkey and Syria.   

The situation in Syria is "really tough" after a devastating earthquake hit the region on Monday, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria, El-Mostafa Benlamlih, told CNN.

Benlamlih said the work will continue, “and we have teams in Aleppo and Hama, and other places trying to assess the situation."

Many buildings collapsed around northwest Syria during the earthquake, and more could still fall, Benlamlih said.

"Buildings in those places are already very vulnerable, and it might not be a surprise to have other buildings coming down. Particularly as we're facing also very tough conditions of work with the rain, and with the snow that is I think expected tonight in all of northwest Syria," Benlamlih said.

"Many people are very scared. They don't want to go back to their houses if we can call them houses, in these cases," Benlamlih said, "They are afraid of the tremors. So they are spending their nights in freezing temperatures."

Benlamlih said that the UN has a stock of supplies they have been distributed, but more supplies are needed.

At least 5,606 buildings collapsed during and after the earthquake on Monday, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency. 

There are a total of 19,574 rescue personnel working in the earthquake region for recovery efforts, an AFAD statement said. 

Turkish Airlines announced Monday that flight operations to Adana, Elazig, and Diyarbakir continue for citizens who want to reach the earthquake zone.

According to Afad's statement, the airports in Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakır, and Adıyaman are open to all flights. Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa Airports are only open to aid flights while Kahramanmaraş and Hatay airports are closed to flights due to the earthquake damage, an AFAD statement said. 

The death toll in Turkey climbed to 2,316 on Monday, according to Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD). 

The European Union has activated its crisis response mechanism in order to coordinate the bloc’s support measures to Turkey and Syria quicker after devastating earthquakes on Monday. 

The IPCR arrangements strengthen the EU's ability to take rapid decisions when facing major cross-sectoral crises requiring a response at EU level, it said. 

Through this mechanism, the presidency of the Council coordinates the political response to the crisis by bringing together EU institutions, member states and other key actors, the EU Council added. 

At least 77 aftershocks measuring 4.0 or greater have occurred since a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern Turkey Monday morning local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Three of the aftershocks have measured 6.0 or greater, including a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck 95 kilometers (59 miles) north of the epicenter of the main quake.

The aftershocks stretch for more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) along the fault zone that ruptured in southern Turkey, oriented from southwest to northeast and stretching from the border with Syria up through the province of Malatya.