Hello MEE readers. It has been five days since a massive 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and Syria, leading to at least 23,700 deaths and tens of thousands of injuries. Search and rescue teams have been working around the clock over the past few days. However, as it is well past the critical 72-hour period, hopes for finding survivors have faded.
The Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad has approved international aid being delivered to rebel-held areas northwest of the country, which has received limited amounts of assistance since Monday. The UN Security Council is due to discuss the issue of cross-border aid into Syria as early as next week, and UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths is due to visit earthquake-hit areas this weekend.
Assad and his wife also made their first visit to the northern province of Aleppo following the deadly earthquake.
International donations have been pouring in for earthquake relief efforts, including from global football superstars. Cristiano Ronaldo's jersey, which was auctioned off, was sold at around $212,450. The proceeds of that sale will be donated to a nonprofit aiding earthquake disaster relief.
MEE will be taking a pause in coverage. To stay updated, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for the latest news.