China News Agency, Beijing, February 9th. According to foreign media reports and Turkish official sources, as of the early morning of the 9th local time, the strong earthquake that occurred in southern Turkey on the 6th has killed more than 15,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Rescue work continued in cold weather. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived at the quake-hit area on the 8th local time to inspect the disaster.
According to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, as of 3:00 local time on the 9th, the strong earthquake has killed 12,391 people in the country and injured 62,914.
Agence France-Presse, BBC, etc. quoted the latest news from the Syrian government and rescue organizations, saying that the strong earthquake had killed 2,992 people in Syria.
According to the Turkish Presidential Palace, on the 8th local time, Turkish President Erdogan arrived in Kahramanmaras province, the epicenter, and Hatay province, the hardest hit area, to inspect the disaster situation.
Erdogan went to the temporary settlement to visit the victims and delivered a speech in the disaster area, promising to take all necessary measures to help the victims overcome their difficulties.
He said that more than 20,000 soldiers and police are currently deployed in Hatay Province to carry out rescue work.
In the 10 affected provinces, the government will expedite the removal of debris and the construction of housing for the homeless.
The World Health Organization warned on the 8th that Turkey and Syria are facing serious health risks after the strong earthquake, especially in Syria. The spread of cholera and respiratory diseases.
In the early hours of the 9th local time, Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, went to the earthquake zone in Turkey.
Griffiths posted on social media that the United Nations has coordinated the deployment of more than 4,948 search and rescue experts and emergency response team members, and will issue an emergency appeal next week to support humanitarian needs.
Local media reported that the "golden 72 hours" of rescue after the strong earthquake has passed, and the search and rescue is still going on. Rescuers from various countries are rescuing survivors who may be trapped under the rubble in cold weather.
According to the Chinese Embassy in Turkey, the Chinese international rescue team sent by the Chinese government arrived in Turkey in the early hours of the 8th local time.
According to reports, at 1:30 local time on the 9th, the Chinese rescue team cooperated with the local rescue team and successfully rescued a pregnant woman from the ruins of an 8-story collapsed house in Antakya, Hatay Province, Turkey's hardest-hit area.
It is also reported that there are currently 10 Chinese social emergency forces, including the Blue Sky Rescue Team, carrying life detectors, demolition tools and other equipment, preparing and rushing to the earthquake-stricken areas in Turkey.
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