ANKARA/DAMASCUS: The death toll as a result of last week’s multiple earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has crossed 41,000 mark.
In Turkey, the death toll stands at 35,418, while the number of deaths in Syria reached 5,814, according to the latest figures from the UN and the Syrian regime’s Syrian Arab News Agency, bringing the total death toll to over 41,232.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces in Turkey and also affected several countries in the region.
The first UN delegation to visit rebel-held northwestern Syria since last week’s earthquake crossed over from Turkey Tuesday, as anger simmers at the world body’s slow response.
“A multi-agency mission has gone this morning from the Turkey side across the border crossing. It’s largely an assessment mission,” the World Food Programme’s Syria director, Kenn Crossley, said in Geneva.
The delegation comprised deputy regional humanitarian coordinator David Carden and Sanjana Quazi, who heads the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Turkey.
On Tuesday, the UN also announced a €396 million appeal to help survivors of the earthquake in Syria.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the devastation from the magnitude 7.8 earthquake “is one of the worst in recent memory,” and “we all know that lifesaving aid has not been getting in at the speed and scale needed.”
He added the aid will provide “desperately needed, life-saving relief for nearly 5 million Syrians — including shelter, health care, food and protection” for three months.
