ISLAMABAD: As the death toll from a catastrophic earthquake that hit Turkiye and Syria neared 26,000, with rescuers struggling in freezing weather to find people alive, Pakistan on Saturday sent a fresh batch of relief goods.

Also, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a telephonic conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Hussein Arnous, extended heartfelt sympathies over the loss of life in the wake of the earthquake and offered all possible support in the relief efforts, according to a PM Office statement. He said a medical team from Pakistan would also support the humanitarian efforts in Syria.

The National Disaster Management Authority sent 16 containers, loaded with blankets and tents, for the quake-hit areas, according to the authority’s spokesperson. Also, Pakistan Air Force in a statement added that its aircraft carrying 16.5 tonnes of humanitarian assistance donated by people for earthquake victims has reached Adana, southern Turkiye, Dawn.com reported.

‘Miraculous rescues’

As aid continues to trickle into the two countries, officials and medics said 22,327 people had died in Turkiye and 3,553 in Syria from Monday’s 7.8-magnitude tremor, bringing the confirmed total to 25,880, according to AFP.

Shehbaz calls Syrian PM; two-month-old baby found alive after 128 hours

In the midst of overwhelming destruction and despair, miraculous tales of survival continue to emerge.

In the city of Antakya, a two-month-old baby was found alive 128 hours after the quake, Anadolu Agency reported. A two-year-old girl, a six-month pregnant woman, plus a four-year-old and her father, were among those rescued five days after the quake, Turkish media reported.

Border opening

To allow the transportation of humanitarian aid, a border crossing between Armenia and Turkiye opened for the first time in 35 years on Saturday, AFP reported while quoting an official.

Five trucks with aid including food and water arrived in Turkiye from the Alican border crossing, tweeted Serdar Kilic, Turkiye’s special envoy for dialogue

with Armenia. Turkiye’s disaster agency said nearly 32,000 people from Turkish bodies are working on search and rescue efforts. In addition, there are 8,294 international rescuers.

Austria, Germany halt operations

However, Austrian soldiers suspended rescue operations in Hatay over a “worsening security situation”, an army spokesman told AFP. A spokesman for the Austrian army said there had been “clashes between groups,” without giving details.

A similar decision to halt rescue operations was taken in Germany by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (TSW) and an NGO specialising in helping victims of natural disasters, ISAR Germany, according to an NGO spokesman.

“In recent hours, the security situation in Hatay province has apparently changed,” said ISAR spokesman Stefan Heine. “There are more and more reports of clashes between different factions, shots have also been fired.”

Medical aid for Aleppo

In Syria, where years of conflict have ravaged the healthcare system and parts of the country remain under the control of rebels, aid has been slow to arrive.

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrived on Saturday in the quake-stricken city of Aleppo, state media reported. Tedros said he was accompanying “emergency medical supplies of around 37 metric tonnes”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to authorise the opening of new cross-border humanitarian aid points between Turkiye and Syria. The council will meet to discuss Syria, possibly early next week.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2023