Quake Latest: Death Toll Nears 30,000; Looters Detained
The death toll from earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria surpassed 24,000 as rescue workers continue the search for survivors.
(Bloomberg) -- The death toll from two massive earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria climbed above 29,000, as rescuers continued to dig through rubble for survivors and victims.
Turkey arrested 48 people on Saturday for looting, state media reported, while two massive military ships were deployed to the country’s south to serve as floating hospitals to treat the injured.
Key Developments
- Why Turkey’s Next Election Is a Real Test for Erdogan: QuickTake
- Turkish Anger Turns to Erdogan Over Quake Delays, Weak Buildings
- Quake Aid Is Political Pawn as Powers Clash Over Syria Access
- Turkish Opposition Targets Market Regulators After Stock Turmoil
- Turkey Wants Russian Green Light for Faster Aid Flow Into Syria
- Turkey’s Main Opposition Files Complaint Over Twitter Blackout
(All times Istanbul, GMT +3)
Death Toll Climbs Above 29,000 (1:12 a.m.)
The death toll from the two quakes rose to over 24,600, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay told a news conference, according to the state-run Anadolu News Agency. In Syria, the death toll is 5,189, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which uses a network of activists on the ground. Thousands of people are still missing, some 80,000 are injured and more than 6,400 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed, according to government figures. The death toll has now far exceeded that of the 1999 earthquakes near Istanbul, when about 18,000 people died according to official figures.
Looters Detained (11 p.m.)
Turkish security teams arrested at least 48 people on charges of looting damaged buildings or trying to defraud victims in the region via telephone, Anadolu reported. Two of those detained allegedly posed as aid workers and tried to loot six truckloads of food for quake victims in the southern Hatay province, the news site said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said again on Saturday those looters would be arrested and punished.
Military Ships Converted to Floating Hospitals (10:55 p.m.)
Two giant ships used as landing crafts for the Turkish military have been sent to the country’s south to serve as hospitals for the injured, with 560 beds on each vessel, according to Anadolu. Medical care on board will include surgery for trauma and orthopedics.
Austria Resumes Rescue Operations Hours After Halting Them (7:57 p.m.)
Austrian troops restarted rescue operations after receiving security guarantees from the nation’s military, Michael Bauer, an Austrian army spokesman, said on Twitter. Austria earlier cited “an increasingly difficult security situation” in the southern province of Hatay for suspending the involvement of the Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit. Two German rescue groups also suspended rescue operations seeking security guarantees.
Ceyhan Loading of BTC Oil May Begin in 2 Days, Reuters Says (7:34 p.m.)
Turkey’s Ceyhan port may resume loading oil from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in one or two days, Reuters reported, citing a Turkish official and a person involved in shipping without identifying them.
Turkish Court Arrests Builder of Luxury Residence That Collapsed (6:44 p.m.)
A Turkish court formally arrested the builder of the luxury “Ronesans Residence,” a 250-apartment building in Hatay province that collapsed on Feb. 6, Anadolu Agency reported. The businessman was previously detained in Istanbul while attempting to fly abroad. The building, under which dozens died, has been dubbed the “Death Residence” in Turkish media. In Adana province, prosecutors issued detention warrants for 62 people as part of an investigation into shoddy construction.
Armenian Aid Trucks Arrive After Talks to Restore Ties (4:05 p.m.)
Armenian trucks crossed into Turkey for the first time in decades to deliver humanitarian aid to survivors, Armenian diplomat Tigran Balayan wrote on Twitter
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 over its conflict with Ankara’s ally Azerbaijan, but the two held normalization talks last year.
Read more: Turkish, Armenian Leaders Eye Ties in First Talks Since 2009 (2)
UN Official Expects Death Count to Double (3:23 p.m.)
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths predicts the death count will “double or more,” he said in an interview with Sky.
He described the scene as “a tangle of terrible rubble, which conceals those who we fear to find and makes getting to those dangerous for these heroic people who are doing this 24/7.”
Turkish Universities Go Online Until Summer (2:50 p.m.)
Turkish universities will move classes online until summer to free up accommodation for survivors, according to President Erdogan.
All university campus dormitories will be used for sheltering people affected by the earthquakes, Erdogan said.
Turkey Postpones Some Bankruptcy Procedures (2:04 p.m.)
Turkey postponed some judicial procedures related to debt execution and bankruptcy across 10 provinces, in the first presidential decree published under a three-month state of emergency in the earthquake zone.
The procedures were postponed to April 6, from February 6, the date when twin quakes jolted 10 provinces in Turkey.
Many Buildings That Haven’t Crumbled Are Unusable, Official Says (1:33 p.m.)
Thousands of buildings hit by twin earthquakes are unusable even if they haven’t collapsed, a Turkish official said. After examining almost 133,000 buildings in 10 provinces, officials have reached the conclusion that 12,617 of them suffered heavy damage and cannot be used safely, Anadolu Agency cited Banu Aslan, head of a department for construction affairs at the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, as saying.
Soldiers on Patrol Around Bank Branches (5:30 a.m.)
Turkish soldiers have started patrolling streets where bank branches and jewelry shops are located in Hatay, one of the worst hit provinces, local Fox TV reported.
A Million Survivors in Shelters (1:09 a.m.)
More than 1 million quake survivors have been moved into temporary shelters, Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said. Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated from the quake zone to the west of the country, he said.
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