Switzerland offers support to Syria and Turkey after major quake
Rescuers search for victims at a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake hit Diyarbakir in southern Turkey, close to the Syrian border, on February 6, 2023.
Keystone / Deniz Tekin
Switzerland is sending support to Syria and Turkey after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northwest Syria early on Monday.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Reuters/AP
Italiano
it
La Svizzera offre sostegno a Siria e Turchia dopo un forte terremoto
At least 1,500 people have died and more than 9,700 are injured in Turkey, an official from the disaster and emergencies management agency (AFAD) said. And least 800 people were killed in Syria and more than 2,300 people injured, state news agency (SANA) quoted a senior health official as saying. A new 7.5-magnitude tremor hit at around 11.30 CET, which officials said was “not an aftershock”.
Many buildings have collapsed, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble. The quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, was also felt in Cyprus, Israel and Lebanon.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation sent 10 specialists to assess the situation on Monday. Switzerland is preparing to send 80 search-and-rescue experts, including army personnel, later in the evening.
Governments and international organisations have responded with condolences and offers of support.
“Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria hit by the tragic earthquake. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish recovery to all the injured. Switzerland is ready to provide emergency relief,” Interior Minister Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, tweeted on Monday.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis also expressed his condolences for the tragedy and said Switzerland was ready to offer humanitarian aid to Turkey after the “terrible earthquake”.
Air corridor
The Turkish armed forces have set up an air corridor to enable search-and-rescue teams to reach the zone affected by the major earthquake in southern Turkey, the country’s defence ministry said.
Various countries have promised to send rescue teams and support, including the United States, India, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Spain, Taiwan and Israel.
The region straddles seismic fault lines. It is the most severe quake in Turkey since 1999, when a similar magnitude quake devastated Izmit and the heavily populated eastern Marmara Sea region near Istanbul, killing more than 17,000 people.
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Switzerland among world’s most expensive for household electricity
This content was published on
According to a study by the comparison site Verivox, based on data from Global Petrol Prices, Switzerland came in tenth out of 143 countries.
Global uncertainty boosts Swiss-EU talks, says Cassis
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis says Switzerland’s talks with the European Union (EU) have been boosted by the current difficult global situation.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Disaster relief: what really works?
This content was published on
In Indonesia, the overriding theme seems to be the same as in the past: 'where is the aid and why is it taking so long to arrive?'
This content was published on
The Unit, which managed to find a 48-year-old woman alive with one of its dogs on Sunday, is expected to return to Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon. The Unit sent 92 helpers and 15 rescue dogs to 16 areas which had been affected by the earthquake. It was its fourth mission this year. It also took…
Swiss, international teams search for Turkey quake survivors
This content was published on
A second Swiss rescue team joined international relief efforts in Turkey on Wednesday as local crews faced the dual tasks of searching for bodies and aiding survivors from the previous day’s massive earthquake. The Swiss team is made up of 90 delegates of the Swiss Disaster Unit and includes 18 sniffer dogs and special search…
Rescuers race against time in search for Turkey quake survivors
This content was published on
The death toll from western Turkey’s worst recorded earthquake surpassed 6,000 Thursday as rescuers raced against time in their attempts to find survivors under the mountains of rubble. Fresh rescue teams arrived from abroad to continue searching for the missing. Many wore scarves over their nose and mouth as a barrier against the growing stench…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.