ALICANTE FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVE IN TURKEY

By Andrew Atkinson

A contingent of Alicante firefighters have travelled to Turkey following the earthquake to hit both Turkey and Syria on February 6.

Spain’s Ministry of Defence has provided equipment, with a contingent of firefighters commissioned to undertake rescue tasks in Turkey.

Alicante Rescue unit member Sergio Perez and his dog Titán were one of the first to arrive in Turkey to collaborate with the NGO Girecan.

The EU is sending euro3.5m - £3.1m - in aid to Syria, currently subject to sanctions by the bloc, after Damascus officially requested assistance. The EU is also sending an initial euro3m in aid to Turkey.

Speaking in Hatay province, close to the epicentre of the quakes, Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the number of people confirmed dead in Turkey had increased to almost 20,000, on Friday.

Syrian officials and a rescue group in rebel-held north-west Syria said the death toll there has reached 3,377, with the combined deaths just under 23,000.

The president also condemned criticism of the government’s rescue effort, reports citing the country as 'slow and inadequate'.

“This is a time for unity, solidarity. In a period like this, I cannot stomach people conducting negative campaigns for political interest,” said Erdogan.

"It is not possible to be prepared for such a disaster," he added.

The World Health Organisation is sending expert teams and special flights with medical supplies to Turkey and Syria, director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the media.

The WHO will send a high-level delegation to co-ordinate its response, along with three flights with medical supplies.

"The health needs are tremendous," Dr Iman Shankiti, the organisation's representative for Syria said.

Separately, a leading United Nations official called on Syria's government to facilitate aid access to rebel-held areas in the north-west, warning relief stocks would soon be depleted.

“Put politics aside and let us do our humanitarian work,” the UN’s resident Syria coordinator El-Mostafa Benlamlih said in an interview with AFP, warning: “We can’t afford to wait and negotiate. By the time we negotiate, it's done, it's finished.”

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