United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths warned about health risks in Turkey and Syria that could stem from insufficient water supplies.
(Bloomberg) — United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths warned about health risks in Turkey and Syria that could stem from insufficient water supplies.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Adana, a province jolted by the quakes. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Sunday afternoon.
Key Developments
- Why Turkey’s Next Election Is a Real Test for Erdogan: QuickTake
- Turkish Anger Turns to Erdogan Over Quake Delays, Weak Buildings
- Quake Aid Is Political Pawn as Powers Clash Over Syria Access
- Turkish Opposition Targets Market Regulators After Stock Turmoil
- Turkey Wants Russian Green Light for Faster Aid Flow Into Syria
- Turkey’s Main Opposition Files Complaint Over Twitter Blackout
(All times Istanbul, GMT+3)
Spain’s Rescue Team Returns Home (11:57 a.m.)
A 33-person Spanish rescue team is returning home after participating in rescue efforts in Adiyaman province, NTV news channel reported. A team of 160 from the US started rescue efforts in the province, according to the station.
Dozens of rescue teams from the international community have come to Turkey to help with the relief response.
UN Aid Chief Expresses Health Concerns Over Sanitation (11:20 a.m.)
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths, speaking to Sky News, voiced health concerns related to sanitation in the quake zone, warning of diseases in the absence of safe water and electricity.
Greek, Turkish foreign ministers meet in quake-hit province (10:52 a.m.)
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Adana, one of the Turkish cities hit by the deadly earthquakes last week. Dendias was due to then travel to Hatay, a province that also severely suffered from the disaster.
Greece joined dozens of countries that rushed to Turkey’s help in the face of the massive destruction caused by the powerful temblors, even as the neighbors remain at loggerheads over long-running territorial conflicts in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
Miracle Survivors in Hatay, Gaziantep (8:54 a.m.)
A team from Romania and Turkish troops rescued a 35-year-old man from the wreckage of a collapsed building 149 hours after the quakes. In Gaziantep, a child was pulled from under the rubble 146 hours after the temblors, according to state news agency Anadolu.
Turkey Goes After Builders, Others for Shoddy Construction (1:10 a.m.)
Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said 113 detention warrants were issued for suspects in investigations against those deemed responsible for shoddy construction in the quake area.
On Friday, the Turkish bar association filed a criminal complaint against builders, auditors and administrative officials responsible for such buildings, saying that their negligence amounted to manslaughter.
Death Toll Climbs Above 29,000 (1:12 a.m.)
The death toll in Turkey from the two quakes rose to over 24,600, Anadolu News Agency cited Vice President Oktay as saying. In Syria, the death toll is 5,189, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which uses a network of activists on the ground.
Thousands of people are still missing, some 80,000 are injured and more than 6,400 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed, according to government figures. The death toll has now far exceeded that of the 1999 earthquakes near Istanbul, when about 18,000 people died, according to official figures.
Austria Resumes Rescue Operations Hours After Halting Them (7:57 p.m.)
Austrian troops restarted rescue operations after receiving security guarantees, Michael Bauer, an Austrian army spokesman, said on Twitter. Austria earlier cited “an increasingly difficult security situation” in the southern province of Hatay for suspending the involvement of the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit. Two German rescue groups also suspended rescue operations seeking security guarantees.
Ceyhan Loading of BTC Oil May Begin in 2 Days, Reuters Says (7:34 p.m.)
Turkey’s Ceyhan port may resume loading oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in one or two days, Reuters reported, citing a Turkish official and a person involved in shipping, without identifying them.
Turkish Universities Go Online Until Summer (2:50 p.m.)
Turkish universities will move classes online until summer to free up accommodation for survivors, according to President Erdogan.
All university campus dormitories will be used for sheltering people affected by the earthquakes, Erdogan said.
–With assistance from Asli Kandemir.
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