Category: Middle East

Rescues Provide Glimmer of Hope Among Earthquake Ruins as Toll Tops 21,000

ANTAKYA, Turkey/JANDARIS, Syria—Rescue crews pulled several people from the rubble of collapsed buildings during the night, including a 10-year-old boy saved with his mother, four days after a huge earthquake wrought death and destruction across southern Turkey and northwest Syria. The confirmed death toll from the deadliest quake in the region in decades stood at…


In Turkey’s Quake-Hit Hatay Province, Rescue Workers Racing Against Time

ADANA, Turkey—The highway from Turkey’s southern Adana Province to the neighboring province of Hatay is snarled by traffic. There are long lines of trucks bearing critical aid for survivors, bulldozers and excavation equipment, and busloads of volunteer rescue workers. Three days ago, Adana and Hatay—and eight other provinces of southern Turkey—were hit with back-to-back earthquakes…


Turkish President Admits ‘Shortcomings’ in Dealing With Earthquake Aftermath, Total Death Toll Passes 16,000

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has acknowledged that there were issues with the ongoing earthquake relief efforts as he faces pressure over the government’s allegedly poor response to the crisis while the death toll from the tragedy nears 13,000 in the country. “Of course, there are shortcomings. The conditions are clear to see. It’s not…


Survivors of Turkey, Syria Quake Struggle to Stay Warm, Fed as Death Toll Passes 17,000

GAZIANTEP, Turkey—Thousands who lost their homes in a catastrophic earthquake huddled around campfires and clamored for food and water in the bitter cold, three days after the temblor and series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 17,000. Rescuers continued their race to pull more people alive from the rubble, with the window…


Twitter Restricted in Turkey After Earthquake, Says Internet Monitor

Access to Twitter was restricted in Turkey on Wednesday, according to the global internet monitor NetBlocks, following a major earthquake that killed more than 11,500 people in southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday. “Real-time network data show Twitter has been restricted in Turkey; the filtering is applied on major internet providers and comes as the…


Military: Forces Raid Hideout, Kill 12 Pakistani Taliban

ISLAMABAD—Security forces acting on intelligence raided a hideout of Pakistani Taliban insurgents along the border with Afghanistan, triggering an intense shootout that left 12 terrorists dead, the country’s military said Wednesday. The pre-dawn raid came amid soaring tensions in Pakistan and in the aftermath of a mosque bombing last week that killed 101 people in…


Death Toll From Syria–Turkey Quake Nears 10,000

KAHRAMANMARAS/ANTAKYA, Turkey—Families in southern Turkey and Syria spent a second night in the freezing cold on Wednesday as overwhelmed rescuers raced to pull people from the rubble two days after a massive earthquake that killed more than 9,600 people. In Turkey, dozens of bodies, some covered in blankets and sheets and others in body bags,…


Death Toll From Syria–Turkey Quake Rose to More Than 11,000, as Erdogan Visits Earthquake-Hit South

KAHRAMANMARAS/ANTAKYA, Turkey—Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan visited southern Turkey on Wednesday to see first-hand the destruction wrought by a massive earthquake as anger grew among local people over what they said was a slow government response to the rescue and relief effort. The combined confirmed death toll from Monday’s quake, which struck a swathe of southern…


The Day After: Quake Survivors in Turkey’s Adana Hold Out Hope for Missing Loved Ones

ADANA, Turkey—One day after southern Turkey was rocked by two major earthquakes, residents of the country’s Adana Province are struggling to come to grips with the devastation—and holding out hope that lost loved ones may still be found. “Six of my family members are still missing,” said Davut Karaagac, who rushed to Adana from Istanbul immediately…


Shipping Containers Ablaze at Turkey’s Iskenderun Port, Operations Halted

ISKENDERUN, Turkey—Hundreds of shipping containers were ablaze at Turkey’s Iskenderun Port on Tuesday, shutting down operations and forcing freight liners to divert vessels to other ports. Turkey’s maritime authority said on Monday that the port, located on the Mediterranean coast in the southern Province of Hatay, was damaged due to the earthquake that struck Turkey…