The February 6 earthquakes that killed more than 40,000 people in Turkey and Syria could result in a loss of up to 1% of the Turkish gross domestic product (GDP), said an economic report published on Thursday. It came amid uncertainties over a possible delay of general elections, set for June, due to the devastating earthquakes. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+1).
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4:51pm: UN launches $1 bn appeal for Turkey quake victims
The United Nations on Thursday launched an appeal for $1 billion in aid to help victims in Turkey of last week's catastrophic earthquake that killed thousands of people.
The world body said in a statement that the funds would provide humanitarian relief for three months to 5.2 million people, allowing aid organisations to "rapidly scale up vital support."
11:15am: Teen rescued from rubble in Turkey 248 hours after quake: media reports
A 17-year-old woman was rescued on Thursday from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the southern central province of Kahramanmaras, 248 hours after the massive earthquakes struck the area, according to Turkish media reports.
The state broadcaster TRT Haber reported the rescue on Thursday.
8:30am: Concerns over water-borne diseases mount in quake-hit areas
Focus has shifted to supporting earthquake survivors in southern Turkey. With much of the region's sanitation infrastructure damaged or rendered inoperable by the quakes, health authorities face a daunting task of tackling public health issues.
Reporting from Adana, FRANCE 24’s Jasper Mortimer said water pipes in the city "got damaged and this means the water got contaminated and has been tested positive for bacteria. This means there is a risk of water-borne diseases, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, hepatitis and even cholera...There are people who haven’t had a shower for nine days, that's since the earthquake,” he explained.
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said it was particularly concerned about the situation in rebel-held northwestern Syria. It asked Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to open more border crossing points with Turkey to allow aid to get through.
Batyr Berdyklychev, WHO representative in Turkey, warned that the water shortage in quake-hit areas "increases the risk of waterborne diseases and outbreaks of communicable diseases."
7:00am: Earthquake could result in loss of up to 1% of Turkey's GDP in 2023
The potential economic effects of the earthquake in Turkey could result in a loss of up to 1% of the country's gross domestic product this year, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in a report published on Thursday. The country is already grappling with an economic crisis.
The bank added this is a "reasonable estimate" due to the expected boost from reconstruction efforts later this year, which will offset the negative impact to infrastructure and supply chains. "The earthquake affected to a large extent agricultural areas and areas where there is light manufacturing, so spillovers to other sectors are limited," EBRD chief economist Beata Javorcik told Reuters.
Growth for Turkey, the single biggest recipient of EBRD funds, has been revised down to 3% from 3.5% in 2023, without considering the impact of the earthquake in the estimates.
10:35pm: Blinken to pledge quake support on Turkey visit
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel Sunday to Turkey to discuss quake relief, making his first trip to the NATO ally which has had turbulent relations with Washington.
Blinken will visit Incirlik air base, through which the US has shipped aid, and then hold talks in the capital Ankara on "continued US support", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.
The US has flown in around 200 rescuers and contributed an initial $85 million in relief for Turkey, deploying Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters to bring supplies to the worst-hit areas.
The visit, which was being planned before the February 6 earthquake that has killed nearly 40,000 people in the country and neighbouring Syria, will be the first by Blinken to Turkey after more than two years in office.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
