Current Affairs
Nepal has sent a consignment of relief materials for quake-affected people in Turkey, four days after the devastating earthquake killed thousands of people and destroyed tens of thousands of homes.
The relief materials, including essential medicine and blankets, were handed over to Turkish Airlines staff in coordination with Islamic Association. It followed a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority which decided to send relief for the quake survivors.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake with epicentre at Gaziantep has so far claimed the lives of more than 17,000 people while destroying thousands of homes in Turkey and Syria, reports say.
The magnitude of the February 6 earthquake matched with the devastating 2015 April 25 earthquake that hit Nepal, killing 9,000 people.
In quake-affected areas rescuers have continued their race to pull more people alive from the rubble, with the window closing to find trapped survivors, reports Associated Press.
In the Turkish city of Antakya, dozens of people scrambled for aid in front of a truck distributing children’s coats and other supplies, an AP report said.
Ahmet Tokgoz, a survivor, called for the government to evacuate people from the devastated region. While many of the tens of thousands who have lost their homes have found shelter in tents, stadiums and other temporary accommodation, others have spent the nights outdoors since Monday’s 7.8 magnitude quake.
“Especially in this cold, it is not possible to live here,” he told AP. “People are warming up around campfires, but campfires can only warm you up so much. ... If people haven’t died from being stuck under the rubble, they’ll die from the cold.”
Meanwhile, the first U.N. aid trucks to enter rebel-held northwest Syria from Turkey since the quake arrived Thursday morning. Smaller aid organizations have sent in shipments, but the U.N. is only authorised to deliver aid through one border crossing and road damage has prevented that thus far, the report said.
Also Read: What makes Turkey-Syria earthquake similar to 2015 Nepal earthquake?
