Earthquake in North Kurdistan - Live Blog

The number of dead after Monday's devastating earthquakes increased to 9,057 and the injured to 52,979.

The number of dead and injured continues to increase. At least 9,057 people have been confirmed dead and 52,979 injured.

08:21

HDP Crisis Coordination Center continues its activities

Teams of 10 people each, sent by the HDP Crisis Coordination Center to Maraş, Antep, Adıyaman and Urfa, carry out search and rescue efforts. The teams sent to the earthquake also communicate with families in need for solidarity.

08:50

Images from the earthquake in Antep and the reaction of the people

 

09:13

Victims of the earthquake in Adıyaman kept in the hospital corridor

While search and rescue efforts continue to save survivors of  the earthquakes that occurred in the Pazarcık district of Maraş with a magnitude of 7.8 and 7.6 and affected 10 provinces, new images and information continue to come from the earthquake zones.

In Adıyaman, those who lost their lives in the earthquake are kept in the hospital corridor in blankets because the morgue at Adıyaman State Hospital was full.

09.55

No access to 90 per cent of villages

In Malatya, 166 people lost their lives and 3,298 people were injured.

Due to the continuous snowfall in Malatya, 90 percent of the villages in Akçadağ, Pütürge and Doğanşehir cannot be reached. It has been learned that the village roads due to the blizzard snowfall were not opened even two days after the earthquake.  Serious damage in the villages and neighborhoods and dozens of people were trapped under the rubble.

10:29

AFAD: 7108 killed by the earthquakes

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced that 7,108 people lost their lives and 40,910 people were injured in the earthquakes.

The actual death toll is believed to be much higher as countless scenes have not even been reached yet.

11:17

Amed Urban Protection and Solidarity Platform: Many people trapped under rubble

The Amed (Diyarbakır) Urban Protection and Solidarity Platform released the latest information from the city as follows:

Death toll: 132,

Discharged: 742,

Inpatient: 129,

Intensive care: 38,

Total number of injured: 909

In addition, there are many people who are missing and are thought to be under the rubble. Relatives of those trapped under the wreckage frequently report names and locations through social media.

12:08

Earthquake Expert: Government is responsible for the massacre

Gebze Technical University Civil Engineering Department Faculty Member and Earthquake Expert Savaş Karabulut said that the government is responsible for the catastrophic situation caused by the earthquakes in the country.

Interviewed by MA news agency, Karabulut said that the death toll was much higher than the official figures and held the government responsible for the consequences.

“After all the earthquakes, we saw that only the contractors are punished, but the central government and local administrations bear the main responsibility. Because in the first place, the government allows contractors to build illegal structures and puts the blame on fate and nature after every disaster.

At the very least, buildings in these earthquake areas should have been checked and precautions should have been taken in advance. All buildings should have been checked one by one, risky structures should have been determined and demolition or reinforcement should have been promoted. People are now trapped under collapsed buildings. All the deaths in these earthquakes should be considered as a massacre.”

12:17

HDP's aid campaign for the earthquake victims continues growing

 

 

12:20

Autonomous Administration receives bodies of earthquake victims

The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) Health Board Co-Chair Ciwan Mistefa reported that the bodies of north-eastern Syrians who lost their lives in the earthquakes were taken from the Ewn Dadat crossing between Jarablus and Manbij.

It is reported that the bodies have been delivered to their families. So far, 18 bodies have been delivered to the Euphrates Region, 7 to Raqqa and 2 to Sirin.

13:18

Ecological organization: AKP wants to turn the disaster into an opportunity

The Climate Justice Coalition and Ecology Union said that the ruling AKP is trying to turn the disaster caused by the earthquakes into an opportunity.

The Union said that a state of emergency has been declared in the earthquake-affected region to turn the disaster into an opportunity. Under the pretext of the state of emergency, the aid and rescue efforts of civil initiatives are prevented. Peoples of Turkey are left alone to organize rescue efforts since the state has failed to organize and coordinate.”

13:59

HDP Co-Chair Sancar visits earthquake survivors in Mersin

HDP Co-Chair Mithat Sancar and a party delegation visited the survivors of the earthquake who were brought from Hatay to Mersin on Tuesday.Speaking during his visit to Mersin City Hospital, Sancar said: “There are many unidentified injured people and children whose families cannot be determined. Our crisis coordination and health team deal with all of them. There is a serious organizational problem in the region. The situation is getting worse. Our colleagues are trying to help to solve the lack of coordination. We are trying to solve the problem together with institutions.”

14:30

Toğrul: People are rescuing their relatives from rubble with bare hands

Speaking to ANF, HDP Antep Deputy Mahmut Toğrul said: “There are two problems: those trapped under the rubble and the problems experienced by survivors. We visited Pazarcik, Nurdağı, İslahiye and their villages. These three districts have been destroyed completely. The buildings that have not collapsed are badly damaged.”

Toğrul continued: “We saw how expert teams failed to reach the area for search and rescue efforts. People are trying to rescue their relatives from the rubble with their bare hands. They are hungry and thirsty because there is no internet, electricity, water and, most importantly, there is no natural gas and people are freezing. Everyone is on the streets, while some take shelter in their cars. They can't even meet the most basic needs. Our people say that there is no water, there are no tents delivered to the region. Natural gas and tents must be provided urgently, as well as water and bread.”

The HDP MP added: “The AKP-MHP government and the state remained under the wreckage caused by the earthquakes. There is no organization. Our people's aid efforts are also blocked. There is a serious obstacle to social solidarity. There is a catastrophic disaster here.”

15:27

The government chases social media users

The AKP-MHP government, which has failed to rush to the aid of the earthquake victims, is now chasing social media users. The government has restricted Twitter in the aftermath of the earthquake. 18 were detained and 5 jailed over their posts on social media.

15:43

Unidentified bodies will be buried

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) announced that bodies of the unidentified earthquake victims will be buried after a 24-hour waiting period after their DNA, fingerprints and photographs are taken.

16:19

Images from the neighborhood of Fatih, in Pazarcık district of Maraş.

        

16:28

Twitter restricted in Turkey

Real-time network data shows Twitter has been restricted in Turkey on Wednesday. The filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the public come to rely on the service in the aftermath of a series of deadly earthquakes.,

16:36

Minister and governor flee from earthquake victims in Adıyaman 

Turkish Minister of Transport, Adil Karaismailoğlu, and governor Mahmut Çuhadar, were met with public reaction in Adiyaman, one of the regions badly hit by Monday’s devastating earthquakes. Footage from the ground shows the minister and governor fleeing the area in the wake of the reactions of earthquake victims. On the third day after the earthquake, there is still no rescue effort to rescue people in most of Adiyaman.

 

17:58

HDP deputies visit earthquake victims in Adıyaman and Malatya

HDP deputy Alican Önlü visited earthquake victims in Adıyaman and Garo Paylan in Malatya.

Alican Önlü stated that the district of Gölbasi suffered major damage, with dozens of buildings destroyed on every street. Önlü pointed out that the death toll is much higher than the official figures and criticised the state’s failure in rescue work.

MP Garo Paylan stated that not a single building is left standing in Malatya’s Ören district with a population of 2,500 people. “There is a serious shelter problem. Electricity and water must be provided urgently,” he said.

In the meantime, the aid transported by the HDP to earthquake areas is distributed to victims through the deputies of the party.