Turkey-Syria earthquake: Death toll surpasses 21,000, World Bank announces $1.78 billion for help

A Turkish woman was rescued Friday after spending more than 100 hours trapped in the rubble of her earthquake-hit home underneath her husband's dead body, a German non-profit organisation said. 

Syria's Health Minister has said that the Syrian health sector is reeling under pressure from the US sanctions. Speaking at a press conference, Hassan al-Ghabbash on Thursday stressed that the suffering of the Syrian medical sector is not a result of the recent massive earthquake that hit the country on Monday but rather the Western sanctions imposed on Syria for 12 years. He also stated that the death toll from the earthquake rose to 1,347 and the injuries to 2,295, Xinhua news agency reported. Al-Ghabbash stressed that from the first moments of the earthquake, the Syrian Health Ministry's emergency room was mobilised to coordinate the response and send ambulances, mobile clinics, and supply trucks to the most affected provinces. The hospitals and health centres are working at their maximum capacity to provide medical services, he said, adding that one of the most important priorities and challenges is to continue to provide health services in shelters and prepare for any emergency.

A Venezuelan rescue mission arrived at the Gaziantep airport in southern Turkey to help with disaster relief efforts following the earthquakes four days ago, Venezuelan authorities confirmed. The Venezuelan mission, including specialists in earthquake recovery and rescue dogs, will concentrate its operations in the Besni district of the city of Adiyaman, Venezuela's Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace said through Twitter on Thursday. "More than 50 professionals, technicians, doctors, and specialists in disaster care, identification and search for people, and all their technical equipment" have been deployed in Turkey and Syria, the Ministry said. Prior to landing in Turkey, the plane operated by state airline Conviasa made a stopover in Syria, where the first contingent of firefighters and rescue workers disembarked to aid the disaster relief efforts there, Xinhua news agency reported. The Venezuelan rescuers are members of the country's Simon Bolivar Humanitarian Task Force, specialised in disaster management. Two strong earthquakes hit southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday.

Iran's fifth batch of humanitarian aid arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus, said the Iranian embassy in Syria. The delivered batch includes 45 tons of blankets, carpets, tents, and foodstuff, the embassy added in a post on its Twitter account on Thursday. Iran has also sent rescue teams to the two countries, Xinhua news agency reported. On Wednesday, Esmaeil Qa'ani, Commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, visited the quake-hit Syrian city of Aleppo and expressed sympathy and support for its people. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Monday called on other countries to pressure the US into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to enable the delivery of international aid to the quake-hit Syrian regions, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. The massive earthquakes on Monday and their aftershocks have so far killed more than 17,000 people in Turkey and Syria, injuring tens of thousands.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has departed for Syria after the devastating earthquakes on Monday that claimed over 21,000 lives in Turkey and Syria.Taking to his official Twitter handle, he informed about his visit and stated that WHO has been supporting essential health care in earthquake-affected regions.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted, "On my way to #Syria, where @WHO is supporting essential health care in the areas affected by the recent earthquake, building on our long-standing work across the country.Earlier on February 8, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held a meeting with Syria's permanent representative to the UN office at Geneva to discuss the immediate health needs of people impacted by the earthquake and essential care for all the people of Syria suffering due to the conflict.He tweeted, "Met #Syria Ambassador Haydar Ali Ahmad to discuss the immediate health needs of people affected by the earthquake, as well as essential care for all Syrians suffering due to the prolonged conflict. I reassured him of @WHO's support for all people in Syria."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday hailed the National Defence Response Force for rescuing a minor girl's life in earthquake-hit Turkey, saying that the Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to making NDRF the world's leading disaster response Force.Taking to Twitter, Shah said, "Proud of our NDRF. In the rescue operations in Turkiye, Team IND-11 saved the life of a six-year-old girl, Beren, in Gaziantep city. Under the guidance of PM @narendramodi, we are committed to making @NDRFHQ the world's leading disaster response force. #OperationDost." Under 'Operation Dost' India had sent six planes carrying rescue personnel, essentials and medical equipment for earthquake relief efforts to Turkey and Syria.Following the deadly earthquakes on February 6, the death toll in Turkey and adjoining Syria have surpassed 17,500 lives in both countries.In a press release, NDRF said that their team in a joint operation with AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) of Turkey on Thursday pulled out a 6-year-old girl alive from the rubble of a collapsed structure in Nurdagi town of Gaziantep province."NDRF rescuers have also retrieved 08 dead bodies from the debris till now. The rescue operation is continuing since 7th Feb by NDRF in the affected areas. The rescue operation and logistics involved are being monitored closely by the DG NDRF in Delhi," NDRF said in a release.

A three-month state of emergency to speed up rescue and aid efforts in Turkey's earthquake-hit provinces came into effect on Thursday after the approval of lawmakers, Anadolu Agency reported. On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the three-month state of emergency to speed up search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit provinces, as per the news report.

The United States announced providing USD 85 million humanitarian assistance to those impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) said in a statement.   The new aid announced by the US is supporting USAID humanitarian partners to deliver aid to people in Turkey and Syria after two earthquakes jolted the two nations on Monday.

The death toll from the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday has risen to 8,764, according to officials, reported CNN. At least 6,234 people have died in Turkey, while at least 2,530 have been killed in Syria.