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HATAY, Turkey/DAMASCUS -- The screams of people still trapped in the rubble filled the night early on Tuesday and relatives wept for their loved ones as the death toll in Turkey and in neighbouring northwest Syria rose to more than 3,700. The magnitude 7.8 quake rippled through both countries early on Monday, toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands more people injured or homeless. Freezing winter weather hampered search efforts for survivors through the night into Tuesday. A man stands in front of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Osmaniye, Turkey February 6, 2023. Photo: Reuters Under a pile of rubble in the southern province of Hatay, a woman's voice could be heard calling for help. Nearby, the body of a small child lay lifeless. Weeping in the rain, a local resident who gave his name as Deniz wrung his hands in despair. "They're making noises but nobody is coming," he said. "We're devastated, we're devastated. … [Read more...] about In Turkey, night fills with screams and crying as earthquake rescues go on

The magnitude 7.8 quake brought down whole apartment blocks in Turkish cities and piled more devastation on millions of Syrians displaced by years of war. It struck before sunrise in harsh weather and was followed in the early afternoon by another large quake. In Diyarbakir in southeast Turkey, a woman speaking next to the wreckage of the seven-storey block where she lived said: "We were shaken like a cradle. There were nine of us at home. Two sons of mine are still in the rubble, I'm waiting for them." She was nursing a broken arm and had injuries to her face. "It was like the apocalypse," said Abdul Salam al-Mahmoud, a Syrian in the northern town of Atareb. "It's bitterly cold and there's heavy rain, and people need saving." The earthquake was the biggest recorded worldwide by the U.S. Geological Survey since a tremor in the remote South Atlantic in August 2021. In Turkey, the death toll stood at 2,316, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said, making … [Read more...] about Major earthquake kills 3,700 in Turkey and Syria, weather hits survivors

At the scene in Turkey (Photo: AFP/VNA) Rome (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in Turkey has contacted local authorities to find out if there were Vietnamese victims in the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in central Turkey and northwest Syria on early February 6 morning. First Secretary of the Embassy Nguyen Phu Tan Huong said following the incident, the embassy immediately contacted the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ’ departments in charge of immigration and Asia-Pacific, police and authorities of 10 localities recording casualties, including Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, Hatay, Diarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa, Adana and Malatya. According to the latest report, Syria recorded 560 fatalities and over 1,089 injured victims in the strong earthquake with epicenter in central Turkey, while Turkey reported 912 deaths and more than 5,000 injuries. Huong said the earthquake took place in the early morning when most people were asleep so that the number of casualties … [Read more...] about Vietnamese embassy contacts Turkish authorities following devastating earthquake

A Panamanian-flagged car carrier suddendly caught fire off Vietnamese waters on Saturday and the blaze was put under control on Sunday, the maritime authority of Vung Tau City Port, in Vietnam’s southern Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, reported, saying it is ready to support the vessel in distress. The carrier AH SHIN was on route from South Korea to Singapore when the fire broke out, the carrier captain reported the fire to the Vung Tau Port Authority on Saturday evening. At that time, the ship was located about 150 nautical miles (nearly 280 kilometers) off Vung Tau Cape, with 21 crew members, all Russian, and 4,530 cars on board. It was also carrying 1,356 tons of fuel oil (FO) and 82 tons of diesel. The fire was raging on the sixth and eighth floors of the 12-floor vessel and crew members used up all 50 tons of CO2 on board to attempt to extinguish the fire but to no avail. The captain therefore asked the authority to allow the AH SHIN to divert to Vung Tau so that it could … [Read more...] about Panamanian ship carrying over 4,500 cars catches fire off Vietnam’s Vung Tau City