In the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, many countries rushed to provide all forms of support and aid, especially with the extent of the destruction of the infrastructure and the deaths and injuries.

Today, Thursday, the Turkish TV "TRT" indicated that the death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria has risen to 16,035 people.

As the death toll in Turkey reached at least 12,873 people, while the number of injured rose to 62,937, and about 8,000 people were rescued, while 117,686 aid workers are participating in the rescue efforts.

In Syria, the death toll rose to at least 3,162 people, while the death toll is expected to rise significantly due to the presence of hundreds of families under the rubble of collapsed buildings as a result of the earthquake that struck the region last Monday, with a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale, and another earthquake followed. With a force of 7.6 degrees, it caused damage to ten Turkish states and areas of northern Syria.

On Thursday, the Chinese Red Cross Society sent a team of rescue workers with the first batch of medical supplies to Syria to help the quake-stricken country with rescue operations.

The association stated in a statement today, according to the Chinese News Agency, that it sent the supplies at the request of the Syrian embassy and the Syrian Red Crescent, as the supplies will meet the needs of up to 5,000 people.

The Red Cross Society said that it would keep up with the humanitarian needs in the affected areas in Syria and Turkey, and pledged to provide humanitarian aid as much as it could.

Following the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday, the Chinese Red Cross Society provided 200,000 US dollars in cash to both the Turkish Red Crescent Society and the Syrian Red Crescent Society as emergency humanitarian aid.

In Abu Dhabi, the President of the Supreme Council for Emirati Motherhood and Childhood, Honorary President of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, "Mother of the Nation", directed the Sheikha Fatima Fund for Refugee Women - affiliated with the Red Crescent, to provide 10 million dirhams to support the "Bridges of Good" campaign launched by the Authority to support humanitarian efforts and relief operations. Currently underway for the benefit of those affected by the earthquake in both Syria and Turkey.

The Emirates News Agency, WAM, stated that this comes in order to enhance the role played by the UAE and its leadership, to reduce the humanitarian repercussions left by the earthquake disaster on the lives of thousands affected on the Syrian and Turkish arenas.

For his part, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed his government to send urgent humanitarian aid to Syria to face the effects of the devastating earthquake that resulted in human losses and widespread destruction in the country.

Russia Today news channel reported today, Thursday, that the Kazakh president stressed the importance of sending this humanitarian aid to Syria through the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, noting that these instructions came after Kazakhstan sent about one million dollars to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and the region, in addition to To two teams of rescuers who have already begun clearing the rubble.

Two Emirati planes and an Iranian plane arrived at Damascus International Airport today, loaded with humanitarian aid for those affected by the earthquake.

The Syrian Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Moataz Doji, said in a statement, according to the Syrian News Agency today, Thursday, that the two Emirati aid planes, one of them carrying 84 tons and the second 27 tons of aid, including blankets, tents and foodstuffs, indicating that the number of Emirati planes loaded with aid reached Seven within the framework of the open air bridge established by the Emirates to help those affected by the earthquake.

For his part, the Iranian ambassador to Damascus, Mahdi Sobhani, said that the Iranian plane was carrying 45 tons of aid, which includes blankets, tents, and foodstuffs, which are needed by the people of the areas affected by the earthquake, pointing out that this is the fifth batch of relief aid that Iran provides to the Syrian people.

Sobhani indicated that a sixth aid plane will arrive at Latakia airport today, and a seventh loaded with medical aid will arrive at Damascus airport later, stressing that the relations between Iran and Syria are deep and close in all fields, and that his country continues to support the Syrian people to overcome their suffering in these difficult days.

Today, Thursday, the State of Palestine team for urgent intervention and response went to Turkey and Syria, in order to support local and international relief efforts, after the devastating earthquake that struck the two countries, under the directives of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Malki, affirmed Palestine's readiness to harness all available capabilities, in order to provide a helping hand to Syria and Turkey, indicating that the team will be divided into two groups upon its arrival in Jordan, and they will go to Turkey and Syria, and they will start work upon their arrival in the areas affected by the earthquake. With other international teams working in field hospitals, they will also participate in rescue, evacuation and ambulance operations, in coordination with the relevant authorities in both countries.

It is noteworthy that the State of Palestine's team for urgent intervention and response, which is supervised by the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA), consists of the Palestinian Civil Defense, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, the Ministry of Health, and the Radio and Television Corporation, headed by the Assistant Minister for International Cooperation and Director General of the Palestinian Agency for International Cooperation. Ambassador Imad Al-Zuhairi.

It is noteworthy that the Palestine Urgent Response and Intervention Team has carried out several humanitarian missions, the most recent of which was in Pakistan, and previously carried out relief missions in Indonesia, the Caribbean and Latin America.

A second Armenian plane carrying humanitarian aid for earthquake-affected Syria arrived today, Thursday, at the airport in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The Armenian news agency Armenpress reported That Yerevan has sent 30 tons of humanitarian aid, including food, medicine and medical items to Syria.

The Russian emergency forces also continued to provide assistance in searching for survivors and recovering bodies from under the rubble of destroyed buildings in Syria and Turkey as a result of the earthquake that struck the region, claiming thousands of lives.

The Russian emergency forces - according to Russia Today news channel - in Syria during the last 24 hours managed to pull out the bodies of 12 people from under the rubble.

The representative of the emergency services in Turkey said that the bodies of 15 people were recovered from under the rubble in the past 24 hours, adding that work is continuing in the city of Hatay, where there are likely to be Russian citizens, a woman and two children under the rubble.

On the other hand, two Greek planes out of five carrying humanitarian aid arrived at the Turkish airport in Adana on Thursday morning, while Athens is intensifying its efforts to help the injured and homeless as a result of the deadly earthquake that destroyed large parts of southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.

The Greek newspaper "Katherini" reported that the Greek Minister of Civil Protection, Christos Stylianides, accompanied the two planes and then returned to Greece to supervise the dispatch of the remaining three flights.

Greece is sending health and medical equipment in addition to basic necessities, such as 7,500 blankets, 1,500 beds and 500 tents, which can accommodate families and serve as mobile clinics.

The cost of transporting aid will be covered 75% by the European Civil Protection Mechanism and the remaining 25% by the Greek Aegean Airlines.
Greece is carrying out this task in consultation with the Turkish authorities, with the assistance of the Turkish Ambassador to Athens, Cagatay Erciyes, and in cooperation with the European Commission.

Source: Middle East News Agency