Authorities in Turkey said that nine more survivors were rescued after the earthquake, as efforts to provide aid shifted to helping people with shelter and food
After more than a week since the deadly earthquake, nine people were rescued under the debris in Turkey.
The efforts of aid workers are now shifting to help people suffering in the cold with food and shelter.
According to a report by Reuters on Tuesday, February 14, authorities at the United Nations have said that “the rescue phase is coming to a close, with the focus turning to shelter, food and schooling”.
As per estimated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), humanitarian assistance is required by over 26 million people across both Syria and Turkey.
“The needs are huge, increasing by the hour,” said Hans Henri P. Kluge, director of WHO for Europe.
He added, “There are also growing concerns over emerging health issues linked to the cold weather, hygiene and sanitation, and the spread of infectious diseases – with vulnerable people especially at risk”.
Meanwhile, statements by the survivors of the earthquake suggest that people are suffering on the ground, as they are forced to live on the streets after their homes have been destroyed.
Many such people affected by the quake are refugees from Syria living in Turkey
“People are suffering a lot. We applied to receive a tent, aid, or something, but up to now we didn’t receive anything,” said Hassan Saimoua, a refugee in Turkey’s southeastern city of Gaziantep.
Saimoua like several other has been living on a playground with the rest of his family by making makeshift tents with plastic sheets, blanket and cardboard.
Authorities in both countries have now said that the death toll after the earthquake has exceeded more than 41,000.
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