death toll exceeds 12,000 and request for help renewed

In addition, the territories are assisted by the first teams that arrive from abroad. The European Union (EU) received a request for help from the Syrian government as a result of the devastating earthquake on Monday, announced this Wednesday the Commissioner for Emergency Management, Janez Lenarcic, who asked for contributions from the countries of the bloc.

“This morning we received a request from the Syrian government to the EU for assistance through the civil protection mechanism. We share this request with the EU Member States and we are encouraging them to contribute,” he said.

Turkey’s interior minister warned that the next 48 hours were going to be “crucial” to find survivors of the quake, which led Ankara to declare seven days of national mourning.

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: how many dead are there in each country

According to the latest balance of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), the dead in Turkey there are 9,057 people and another 2,992 in Syriaof which 1,250 were found in government-controlled areas and 1,297 in rebel areas, Health Minister Hassan Ghabbash said.

Civil protection volunteers in the rebel areas indicated that the number must “rise considerably because hundreds of people are still trapped under the rubble.”

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Those affected by the earthquake look for their relatives and acquaintances under the rubble.

The most violent earthquake since 1999

The epicenter of the quake was located in the province of Kahramanmaras, 600 kilometers from the capital of Turkey, Ankara. According to the Kandilli Observatory of the Bosphorus University (Istanbul), It is the earthquake with the highest number of deaths since 1999 in Izmit, which left a total of 17,000 deaths.

United States President Joe BidenFor his part, he promised his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “all the necessary help, whatever it may be.”

The White House announced the dispatch of 79 first responders and the Chinese government announced aid of 5.9 million dollarswhich will include teams specialized in relief in urban environments, medical teams and emergency supplies.

According to Erdogan, 45 countries offered their contributions to the two countries affected by the earthquake of more than seven points.