Turkey-Syria earthquake: As it happened

A two-year old boy has been rescued from the rubble, 79 hours after the quake. 

Turkish aid organisation Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) posted footage of a child, who they identified as "Mert", being pulled out of the rubble by rescue workers in Antakya, south of Turkey. 

Experts say that over 90 percent of survivors under rubble are found in the first 72 hours.

With that three-day window closing this morning, the likelihood of rescuing people falls with every passing hour.

The death toll after Monday's devastating earthquake has risen to 19,863. 

President Erdogan announced that at least 16,546 died in Turkey, with over 66,132 injured. 

Meanwhile, Syria's health ministry said at least 1,347 died in its territory. In opposition areas of northwest Syria, the death toll has risen to 1,970 according to the Syrian Civil Defence. 

UN aid chief Martin Griffiths will visit earthquake epicentre Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, followed by Aleppo and Damascus in Syria, this weekend. 

Griffiths will assess the needs of the two countries and how the UN can step up its support, Secretary General Antonio Guterres announced. 

"Roads are damaged. People are dying. Now is the time to explore all possible avenues to get aid and personnel into all affected areas. We must put people first," Guterres said in New York.

MEE has reported that the UN was unable to reach rebel-held northwest Syria due to customs officials at the Bab al-Hawa crossing being personally impacted by the quake. 

Bab al-Hawa is the only international aid corridor from Turkey into Syria. 

Guterres said the UN would be "very happy" to get aid into northwest Syria using other border crossings, if it was able to do so. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that 16,170 people lost their lives and 64,194 people were injured in the earthquakes.

At least 3,150 people have died in neighbouring Syria, bringing the total death toll to 19,320.

Death toll in Turkey’s earthquake rises to 16,170 people.

More than 64,000 people are wounded, Erdogan announces

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) February 9, 2023

The Taiwanese president and members of her cabinet will donate a month’s salary to earthquake relief efforts in Turkey. 

A spokesperson for President Tsai Ing-wen confirmed the pledge in a statement, which would also include the vice president, premier and vice premier.

Taiwan’s government has already contributed $2 million in the relief efforts, as well 130 emergency workers and five rescue dogs. 

In 1999, Turkey was among several countries to send rescue teams to Taiwan after it suffered a huge earthquake which killed over 2,000. 

Turkey's justice minister has announced that a judicial investigation has been initiated over collapsed buildings during the quake. 

The probe will seek to hold to account those who built the buildings or bore any responsibility for their collapse in the 10 provinces impacted.

"Those who have negligence, faults and those responsible for the destructions after the earthquake will be identified and held accountable before the judiciary," Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said. 

A three-month state of emergency in 10 provinces impacted by the quake will come into effect on Thursday, the Turkish president has announced. 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that the measure would be enforced following a parliamentary vote. 

He was speaking during an inspection of search and rescue efforts in the Gaziantep province, the epicentre of Monday's earthquake. 

 The emergency measure will be in place in Kahramanmaras, Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Kilis and Osmaniye. 

Erdogan said that the measure would help to crack down on "seditious groups" that seek to exploit the aftermath of the quake, and "prevent looting in markets". 

Aid organisations in the UK have come together to launch a joint appeal for donations to help the Turkey-Syria quake victims. 

The 15 organisations that make up the Disasters Emergency Committee launched their appeal on Thursday to provide rescue and medical aid, shelter, blankets, and food, among other resources.

The UK government announced that it would match up to £5m of the public donations. 

Twitter is back up in Turkey after it was restricted on Wednesday over alleged earthquake misinformation. 

The restrictions were lifted following discussions between Twitter executives and the Turkish government. 

“Our demands are clear, strong cooperation on disinformation and false reports, swift action against fake accounts and... measures against content that could damage public order and security," transport minister Omer Fatih Sayan said after the meeting. 

Twitter boss Elon Musk wrote on Wednesday night that Ankara had informed him that access would be re-enabled. 

The throttling of the social media platform sparked outrage given the platform's crucial role in coordinating rescue efforts and providing news updates. 

"This action simply adds a new layer to the already troubled situation and creates more problems for the victims and volunteers, as well as those who are trying to hear from their loved ones from the impacted cities," Gurkan Ozturan, a digital rights activist, told Middle East Eye. 

Twitter access restored in Turkey after government restriction

The death toll has risen to 14,014 in Turkey, President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Thursday morning. 

At least 3,150 people have died in neighbouring Syria, bringing the total death toll to 17,164.

More than 63,000 have been injured in Turkey and over 5,000 in Syria as the search for survivors continues for the fourth day.  

Erdogan said during a visit to the quake-hit province of Gaziantep that more than 6,400 buildings had been destroyed.

He added that Turkey aimed to build new three and four storey buildings in the region within one year.

More than 90 percent of survivors are found in the first 72 hours, according to experts. 

With the 72-hour window closing early Thursday morning the likelihood of rescuing survivors falls with every passing hour. 

But that number of people rescued can vary significantly depending on the weather, aftershocks and how quickly rescue teams and equipment can arrive at the scene.

The scale of the disaster and the current weather conditions are currently going against efforts in Turkey and Syria.

The most important thing for the emergency services it to try and get medical attention to as many people under collapsed buildings before they succumb to hyperthermia, their bodies fail or they bleed out. 

The unfolding humanitarian tragedy in Syria is increasingly desperate a rescue service, the White Helmets, operating in the rebel-held northwest warned on Thursday morning.

"We are at a critical point... Time is running out, hundreds of families are still stuck under the rubble. Every second means saving a life," said the group.

More than 418 buildings have been completely destroyed and more than 1,300 buildings have severely destroyed buildings, and thousands of buildings damaged in northwest Syria according to the White Helmets. 

UN aid is not reaching opposition-held territory in northwest Syria due to customs officials at the Turkish border being personally impacted by Monday’s earthquake, officials and humanitarian workers have told MEE. 

Read more:

Aid not reaching northwest Syria as border guards affected

The devastating earthquakes in Turkey which left more than 12,000 dead and at least at least 60,000 injured has resulted in an outpouring of volunteering effort amongst ordinary Turks.

When Saliha Gencay, a 46-year-old teacher from the Black Sea province of Sakarya, first heard about the double earthquake to hit the south of Turkey on Monday, she immediately thought of what she could do to help those most affected.

“I have friends and students in the areas most affected by the earthquake," Gencay told Middle East Eye. "I have spoken to some of them, they are very tired and worried."

Another volunteer Yakup, 33, from Istanbul, told MEE he drove with family members to Adiyaman, one of the worst-affected cities to deliver aid directly to those in need: “You cannot imagine how bad it is,” he said.

Read more.

Turkey earthquake: Volunteers across the country mobilise to help victims

Turkey's disaster management agency, AFAD, has said the latest death toll was at least 12,873, while at least 62,914 others were injured. 

In Syria, the death toll had climbed to at least 2,950, according to the government of Bashar al-Assad and a rescue service, the White Helmets, operating in the rebel-held northwest.

The total number of killed by the two earthquakes on Monday stands at 15,823.