The window for rescue missions is about to end as the death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria passes 37,000

As rescue missions begin to wind down, a 13-year-old boy is among a handful of survivors found more than a week after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.

Key points: The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria is now the sixth-deadliest natural disaster of this century, a UN relief official says the focus is shifting from rescue efforts to caring for survivors and the displaced, and a trade group estimates damage could reach nearly $85 billion. ($121 USD). one billion)

The footage shows the young man being pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay province, southern Turkey, after being trapped for 182 hours.

He held the rescuer’s hand while he was placed on a stretcher, bracing his head and covering him for warmth, before being taken to an ambulance.

Earlier, a 6-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of a residential building in the Turkish city of Adiyaman.

The two were among at least seven survivors reported rescued Monday, local time, but hope of finding more is fading fast.

Nearly 6,000 people have been killed in Syria (Reuters: Firas Makdisi)

After last Monday’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake, the total death toll in Turkey and neighboring Syria has risen to more than 37,000 and looks set to continue to increase exponentially.

The UN aid chief, Martin Griffiths, has also warned that the rescue phase is “coming to a close”, with an urgent shift now to shelter, food, education and psychosocial care.

As a Polish team said they would go home on Wednesday, rescuers in Turkish cities cheered as people were freed from seven days under the rubble.

However, in many places, grief still ran high as more bodies were found and relatives blamed the government for the slow response.

Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority said the deadliest earthquake in Turkey since 1939 forced 160,000 people from the quake zone.

Meanwhile, a United Nations agency reported that more than 4,300 people had been killed and 7,600 injured in northwest Syria as of Sunday.

Combined with the reported toll from government-held parts of the country, the number of people reported killed in Syria rises to more than 5,714.

The earthquake is now the sixth deadliest natural disaster of this century, after the 2005 earthquake that killed at least 73,000 people in Pakistan.

A business group said the devastation in Turkey could cost Ankara up to $84.1 billion ($120.8 billion), while a government official put the figure at more than $50 billion.

Volunteers sort earthquake donations in Macedonia (Reuters: Eugnen Teofilovsky)

How to help the victims of the Turkish and Syrian earthquakes

Syria agrees to expand UN aid access

In Syria, the disaster has hit hardest in the rebel-held northwest, leaving homeless – once again – many people who have already been displaced multiple times by the decade-long civil war.

The region has received little aid compared to government-controlled areas.

There is currently only one crossing open on the Turkish-Syrian border for UN aid supplies, although the UN has said it hopes to open two additional border points.

A United Nations spokesman said aid from the earthquake from government-held areas to territory held by hardline opposition groups was held up by issues of agreement with the Islamist group Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of the area.

A source from Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib told Reuters the group would not allow any shipments from government-held areas and that aid would arrive from Turkey to the north.

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces help victims waiting to cross the border on the Iraqi side of the Iraqi-Syrian border (Reuters: Ahmed Saad)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had agreed to allow the delivery of UN aid into opposition-held northwest Syria through two additional border crossings from Turkey for a period of three months.

Al-Assad agreed to open the Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rabee crossings, after UN Secretary-General Martin Griffiths met with the Syrian President in Damascus on Monday.

“As the death toll from the February 6 earthquake continues to rise, it is of utmost urgency to provide food, health and nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all of the millions affected,” said Mr. Guterres.

“Opening these crossing points — along with facilitating humanitarian access, expediting visa approval, and facilitating travel between centers — will allow more aid to enter faster.”

Read more about the earthquake disaster: Safety and hygiene concerns

Residents and aid workers from several Turkish cities reported deteriorating security conditions, with accounts spreading of collapsed businesses and homes.

Some business owners emptied their stores on Sundays to prevent theft of merchandise.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the government will deal firmly with thieves, as he faces questions about his response to the earthquake ahead of elections scheduled for June that are expected to be the toughest of his two decades in power.

Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have begun cracking down on social media accounts, focusing on “provocative” posts seen as spreading fear and panic among the public, the country’s police headquarters said on Monday.

It added that 56 people were arrested and 14 were placed in pre-trial detention.

Amid concerns about hygiene and the spread of infection in the area, Turkey’s health minister, Fahrettin Koca, said over the weekend that rabies and tetanus vaccines had been sent to the quake zone and that mobile pharmacies had started operating there.

Turki said about 80,000 people were in hospitals, and more than a million were in temporary shelters over the weekend.

Reuters

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos