Turkey-Syria earthquake UPDATES: Over 20,000 killed, rescue ops underway by NDRF teams in Nurdagi

Turkey-Syria Earthquake: The Death toll after the destructive earthquake and its aftershocks in Turkey and Syria has been raised to 20,000. 

A Turkish woman hugs a woman officer of the Indian Army and gives her a peck, in an earthquake-affected area of Turkey. Indian Army has deployed disaster relief teams and Army Field Hospital to help quake victims.

Death toll due to devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria rises to more than 19,300. It has surpassed Japan's Fukushima disaster toll, reports AP.

Rescuers pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings Thursday, but hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after a catastrophic earthquake and series of aftershocks hit Turkiye and Syria. The earthquake that razed thousands of buildings in Turkiye and Syria has become one of the deadliest quakes worldwide in more than a decade. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was scheduled to travel Thursday to the quake-hit provinces of Gaziantep, Osmaniye and Kilis amid ongoing criticism that the government's response has been too slow. In addition to 12,873 people killed in Turkiye, the country's disaster management agency said more than 60,000 have been injured. On the Syrian side of the border, 3,162 have been reported dead and more than 5,000 injured. Tens of thousands are thought to have lost their homes.

A Lebanese ministerial delegation has arrived in Damascus to discuss with Syrian officials more possible assistance for the quake-hit country. The multi-partisan delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who according to local media reports, expressed gratitude to Lebanon for the aid, reports Xinhua news agency. The delegation also met Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. On Tuesday, a Lebanese delegation of the Lebanese Red Cross, Beirut Fire Brigade, Civil Defense, Disaster Management units and the Lebanese army travelled to Syria to assist the country in post-quake rescue work. Meanwhile, Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said the country has opened air space and maritime facilities to enable shipping companies to transport humanitarian aid to Syria.  The death toll from Monday's devastating 7.8-magnitude quake in Turkey and Syria has increased to 15,383 as of Thursday morning. In Syria, there were at least 2,992 deaths, of which 1,730 were reported in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the "White Helmets" civil defence group, and 1,262 fatalities were registered in government-controlled parts of the country, says the state media. The regions of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus were the worst hit. A large number of buildings were also destroyed or damaged in the opposition-held areas in northern Syria, where rescue teams are frantically searching for survivors.

Twitter access in Turkey, which had been blocked two days after the devastating earthquake struck the country on February 6, is now said to have been restored. Internet monitoring company Netblocks on Thursday shared the information on Twitter, saying: "Metrics confirms access to Twitter is being restored in #Turkey following hours of filtering. "The restoration comes after authorities held a meeting with Twitter to 'remind Twitter of its obligations' on content takedowns and disinformation." Some Twitter users appealed for help to Twitter CEO Elon Musk, tagging his handle in an apparent attempt to draw his attention to the issue. A user wrote: "Twitter has become inaccessible in earthquake-shaken Turkey. We ask for all the authorities to unite forces to fix the problem immediately so people can continue to use @Twitter to mobilize help for everyone who might still be alive under the rubble @elonmusk." In response, Musk said: "Twitter has been informed by the Turkish government that access will be reenabled shortly". As of Thursday, the death toll from the devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has increased to 15,383, according to authorities. In its latest update, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency (AFAD) said the country's overall death toll currently stood at 12,391 people, with 62,914 others injured, reports Anadolu News Agency.

Hospitals in Azerbaijan are ready to receive those injured in the the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria this week, President Ilham Aliyev announced here. "Our hospitals have all the conditions for the treatment of our wounded brothers and sisters," said the President, as he visited the Turkish Embassy in Baku on Wednesday to offer his condolences, reports Xinhua news agency. "Beds have already been allocated in Baku and other cities, including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and if necessary, we are ready to bring in patients," Aliyev told the Turkish Ambassador after signing a book of condolence at the mission. He said doctors, rescuers and volunteers are being sent to Turkey, and humanitarian aid campaigns are launched by ordinary people, public organisations and private companies in Azerbaijan to help those affected by the quakes. "The people of Azerbaijan voluntarily bring whatever they have to support their brothers. Someone brings a blanket, someone brings a mattress, and someone else brings a coat. People are ready to share whatever they have," he said. Azerbaijan has deployed rapid response search and rescue units, totaling more than 700 people, to earthquake-hit regions of Turkey, according to emergency authorities. More than 200 Azerbaijanis have been evacuated from Turkey since the earthquake struck on Monday, the Foreign Ministry said.

Turkey has accepted Cyprus' offer of rescue teams to help in the search for victims of the earthquake which hit the southern part of the country on Monday. Turkey had originally rejected the offer. Cypriot Foreign Ministry spokesman Demetris Demetriou said in a tweet that Turkey had conveyed its acceptance through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. A Turkish military operation in 1974 led to the partition of the eastern Mediterranean island, and its northern part is still controlled by Turkish troops, Xinhua news agency reported. However, on Tuesday Cyprus expressed its readiness to help Turkey. Demetriou told state CyBC television that a team of rescuers has been assembled and is now ready to depart.

The death toll from the earthquake that jolted Turkey and Syria is now at least 15,383 people. As many as 12,391 people have been killed and 62,914 others have been injured in Turkey after the earthquakes that rocked the country on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported citing Turkey's disaster management agency, AFAD. 

Turkey is working to open two more border gates with Syria to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to its neighbour which also suffers from massive earthquakes, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said. "Cilvegozu border gate is open. We are working to open two more gates ... We also provide the necessary support for the aid to reach Syria," Cavusoglu told reporters on Wednesday at a joint news conference attended by Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay. Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the road leading to the Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing from Turkey to northern Syria was damaged, and the aid delivery to the rebel-held northwest was temporarily disrupted. The UN is preparing a convoy to cross into Syria, but that would likely require a new agreement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government, Dujarric added. Bab al-Hawa, across Turkey's Cilvegozu gate, is the only crossing through which UN aid is allowed into the area, Xinhua news agency reported. A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time, followed by a magnitude-7.6 quake at 1:24 p.m. local time in the same province.

Russia has sent a second rescue team with medical specialists and rescuers to earthquake-hit Turkey, the country's Emergencies Ministry said. In a Telegram post, the Ministry on Wednesday said that an Il-76 plane with 50 rescuers and 11 doctors on board took off on Wednesday in accordance with an order given by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xinhua news agency reported. Various medical specialists such as traumatologists, neurosurgeons, surgeons as well as anesthesiologists and intensive care specialists are on the flight, TASS reported citing the Ministry. More than 100 Russian rescuers have already arrived in Turkey, and most are conducting search and rescue operations in the Kahramanmaras province, which has been most affected by the earthquake.

Under Operation Dost initiative, the medical treatment being given at Indian Army's field hospital set up in Hatay, Turkey to the people affected by the devastating earthquakes.

3 NDRF teams along with specially trained dog squads, medical supplies & other necessary equipment are sent to Turkey from India to provide assistance to people affected by the earthquakes.

Turkey, which is reeling from the devastation in the aftermath of powerful earthquakes that have killed more than 8,500 people, has at the last moment refused to host Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Ankara.The visit of Shehbaz Sharif to Turkey has been postponed due to Turkish leadership's engagements related to the ongoing rehabilitation work and bad weather, The Express Tribune reported citing Express News sources.

India under 'Operation Dost' has provided assistance to Turkey and deployed two Turkish-speaking officers, four MEA personnel in the wake of the quake-hit country, the Ministry of External Affairs Ministry said Wednesday."MEA has deployed two Turkish-speaking officers from overseas who flew into Turkey and are stationed there. We have also deployed four MEA personnel to cooperate and help in the operation and coordinate between the Turkish authorities and our teams, "MEA Secretary West Sanjay Verma said during the special briefing on 'Operation Dost.' "We have also set up a control room in Adana. The consul general from Istanbul and other officials from our mission in Ankara are all stationed on the ground in the affected areas," the MEA Secretary said.India has extended humanitarian support to Turkey after it was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Monday which ripped through Turkey and Syria, followed by a series of aftershocks that caused huge devastation, loss of lives and damage to infrastructure in both countries. According to the latest estimates, nearly 10,000 people have lost their lives in both countries.He termed the recent earthquakes as the 'biggest natural disaster' that had hit Turkey since 1939."We received an email from the Turkish side for assistance. Within 12 hours of the meeting, the first Search and Rescue (SAR) flights left from Delhi to Turkey," the MEA Secretary said during the briefing.

Turkey's Ambassador to India Firat Sunel has said that 'Operation Dost' is a "very important operation" and demonstrates the friendship between the two nations.Firat Sunel made the remarks at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad from where Indian Air Force's C17 Globemaster aircraft with the NDRF team, medical equipment, relief equipment, took off for Turkey, as part of the ongoing 'Operation Dost.' He said, "Operation Dost is a symbolic operation. It already proves that we are friends. We have to deepen our relations." Speaking to media, Firat Sunel said, "Operation Dost is a very important operation. And this is the operation of friendship because DOST is the word in Hindi and Turkish which means friends. And this operation shows our friendship between India and Turkey and friends always help each other."He further said, "I remember two years ago in 2021, I was exactly in this airplane and Turkey sent two aircraft loaded with COVID medical assistance. Now, after two years now we have two huge devastating earthquakes in Turkey and India is now sending search and rescue teams in Turkey because real friends help each other in days if they are in need."

The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen above 15,000, AFP reported citing authorities.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that at least 8,574 people have died and nearly 50,000 others have been injured in Turkey. He made the remarks during his visit to disaster areas near the epicentre of Monday's earthquake. The total number of deaths has now reached 2802 in Syria. As many as 1,540 deaths have been reported in rebel-held regions in the northwest, CNN reported citing White Helmets. Meanwhile, 1,262 people have died in government-controlled areas of Syria, Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash said, CNN reported citing Syrian state media. 

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan has said that India stands ready to extend support to the people of earthquake-hit Turkey. Muraleedharan made the remarks at the Hindon Airbase in Ghaziabad from where Indian Air Force's C17 Globemaster aircraft with medical equipment, ration and relief equipment took off for Turkey, as part of the ongoing 'Operation Dost.' Speaking to media, Muraleedharan said that there are four teams working on the ground in Turkey, including two rescue teams, dog squads and two medical teams. He said that India has already opened a field hospital in Turkey."India has already sent four teams including two rescue teams of NDRF and two teams for medical assistance. Today, the third team of NDRF is taking off for Turkey along with a dog squad, medicines, blankets, four wheelers," Muraleedharan said.He further said, "India stands ready to extend support to the people of Turkey in this hour of grief. India has always been coming to the help of people across the world and humanitarian assistance has been provided in various countries across the world. So this is another such an example."Muraleedharan said that India continues to stand with the people of Turkey. He said that India would assess the situation and do the needful if any further assistance is required.