by Al Jazeera
Death toll in Turkey rises to 284 people: Presidency
At least 284 people have died in Turkey, Vice President Fuat Oktay has said, adding that more than 2,300 people have been injured and that search and rescue operations are ongoing in several major cities.
Relief organisation says hospitals in Syria ‘overwhelmed’
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Mazen Kiwara, Middle East Regional Director for the Syrian American Medical Society, has told Al Jazeera that the healthcare system in Syria is “overwhelmed” from the number of people in need of medical attention, as some hospitals have been damaged by the quake.
Kiwara said his team had to evacuate a maternity hospital in Afrin and reported at least five deaths, including that of a pregnant woman.
“Right now we have a crisis, in addition to very bad weather conditions and collapsed buildings,” he said.
“The effort should be focused on the humanitarian response, especially in shelter and health to protect the population of more than 1.5 million people in northwest Syria alone.”
Italy withdraws tsunami warning after trains halted
Italian authorities have withdrawn a tsunami warning for the country’s southern coast that was raised after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake.
Italy’s Civil Protection Department had issued a statement recommending people to move away from coastal areas. Train traffic in the southern regions of Sicily, Calabria and Apulia had been temporarily halted as a precaution but resumed in the morning, the agency said in the statement.
Bad weather in Turkey could hamper rescue efforts: Correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said bad weather across the country could hinder search and rescue efforts in areas affected by Monday’s earthquake.
“The flights from Istanbul and Ankara to eastern Turkey have been cancelled because of wind, rain and snow in Istanbul and heavy snow in Ankara. So we cannot easily access the affected areas,” she said.
“And in eastern Turkey, in Gaziantep, there is heavy snow. And in Kahramanmaras, there is rain. Our colleagues and friends in the area say they are outside, in the cold, and that they are afraid to go inside their buildings.”
She added, “The bad weather conditions will also make work difficult for the rescue workers.”
‘Never felt anything like this’: Turkish resident
A resident of the Turkish city of Gaziantep, near the earthquake’s epicentre, told the Reuters news agency that the tremor rocked buildings in his city “like a baby in a crib”.
“I have never felt anything like it in the 40 years I’ve lived,” said Erdem, who declined to give his surname.
“We were shaken at least three times very strongly, like a baby in a crib.”
It was still too dark to see the nature of the damage, he added.
“Everybody is sitting in their cars, or trying to drive to open spaces away from buildings,” he said, speaking by telephone. “I imagine not a single person in Gaziantep is in their homes now.”
Turkey dispatches search and rescue teams
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says search and rescue teams have been dispatched to areas hit by the earthquake.
“We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage,” he wrote on Twitter.