The UN is appealing for $397-million (R7.1-billion) in aid for about 5-million survivors of the earthquake in Syria, it has said, noting that the money will be used for accommodation, healthcare and food supplies.
This after the death toll topped 41 000 on Wednesday, nine days after a 7.8 quake rocked parts of Syria and the Republic of Türkiye, formerly known as Turkey.
Turkish authorities said 35 418 people have been killed in the country while in Syria the UN announced that more than 5 800 people have lost their lives, with the World Health Organisation describing the earthquake as the worst natural disaster in a century.
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations continue as a UN convoy carried humanitarian assistance passing through the Bab al-Salam crossing from Türkiye. Trained rescue dogs searched for survivors still buried under the layers of concrete.
Among the rescue groups is REDOG, a K9 volunteer team from Switzerland that is on the ground in the city of Iskenderun, Türkiye. REDOG is working alongside a local team called GEA, an all-volunteer search and rescue group.
Matthias Gerber, REDOG’s vice chief for search operation, told Al Jazeera: “I think it’s one of the most emotional moments of my life, the moment when the dogs signal to us that they have found some people in the rubble.”
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