2 years ago / 5:42 AM EST

White Helmets 'unable to respond to the full scale of the disaster' in Syria

Lawahez Jabari
Mithil Aggarwal and Lawahez Jabari

In Syria, members of the White Helmets are struggling to cope with the sheer scale of the disaster, the organization said in a statement Tuesday.

"Great efforts are being made by our teams, but they are unable to respond to the full scale of the disaster. Hundreds remain trapped under the rubble," the team of search and rescue responders officially known as Syria Civil Defence said in a statement.

In a separate statement, it said that more than 200 buildings had been completely destroyed, with tens of thousands cracked.

2 years ago / 5:36 AM EST

Some 23 million people likely affected by quakes, WHO warns

Some 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, across Turkey and Syria were likely affected by Monday's earthquake and its aftershocks, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO said it was dispatching emergency supplies, including trauma and emergency surgical kits, to the region as it activated a network of emergency medical teams.

“It’s now a race against time,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes."

2 years ago / 5:23 AM EST

Photo: L.A. County firefighters deployed to Turkey

Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department prepare for deployment in Pacoima, California, on Monday after being activated by USAID, the U.S. government aid agency, to go to Turkey to assist with earthquake recovery efforts.

Allison Dinner / EPA via Shutterstock
2 years ago / 5:13 AM EST

China offers almost $6 million in aid to Turkey and Syria

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said late Monday.

"Xi Jinping expressed his shock learning of the strong earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, which caused heavy casualties and property losses," the ministry said in a statement.

China will also provide 40 million yuan ($5.9 million) in relief aid to Turkey, the state news agency Xinhua said Tuesday, adding that an additional aid of $200,000 will be provided to Turkey and Syria each by China's Red Cross.

2 years ago / 5:12 AM EST

Photo: Turkish mosque destroyed by earthquake

The Yeni mosque destroyed by an earthquake in Malatya, Turkey, on Monday.

AP
The Yeni Mosque in 2016.Alamy Stock Photo
2 years ago / 5:10 AM EST

Freezing weather complicates search for survivors

As search and rescue teams race to pull survivors from the rubble amid continuing aftershocks, freezing weather and snow have been further complicating the search.

In Malatya, a city in the eastern Anatolia region of Turkey, rescue teams searched for survivors in below-freezing weather Tuesday.

Hakan Burak Altunoz / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
2 years ago / 4:48 AM EST

Photo: Dust rises from the rubble as search intensifies in Turkey

Emergency teams search for people in the rubble of a destroyed building in Adana, southern Turkey, on Tuesday.

Hussein Malla / AP
2 years ago / 4:48 AM EST

India's aid team and relief equipment arrive in Turkey

India's first dispatch of its aid team arrived in Turkey on Tuesday morning, with a second supply en route, officials said.

More than 50 search and rescue personnel, as well as dog squads, relief equipment and medicines had been sent, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar wrote on Twitter.

"India continues to support the people of Türkiye in their hour of need," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter.

2 years ago / 4:10 AM EST
2 years ago / 4:08 AM EST

Photo: Search continues amid port fire in Iskenderun, Turkey

A woman searches for victims at the site of a collapsed building as plumes of black smoke rise in the Turkish port city of Iskenderun on Tuesday.

Erdem Sahin / EPA via Shutterstock