Turkey hit by another 5.7-magnitude earthquake
Another huge earthquake has shaken Turkey after thousands of people were killed in a natural disaster yesterday.
A 5.7 magnitude quake hit eastern parts of the country this morning, it was reported.
It comes just a few hours after a magnitude 7.8 quake toppled entire apartment blocks, wrecked hospitals, and left thousands of people injured or homeless in the winter cold.
The massive quake near Gaziantep, hit in the early hours of Monday while people were asleep
A 7.5-magnitude tremor then hit nearby several hours later, causing further damage to a region that was already badly shaken
Time is now running out to save families still unaccounted for after their homes collapsed on top of them while they slept.
Temperatures fell close to freezing overnight, hampering the rescue efforts and worsening conditions for those yet to be rescued.
Turkey’s emergency agency AFAD says more than 2,600 personnel from 65 countries have been sent to the disaster area to assist Turkish rescuers
In total, 300,000 blankets and more than 41,00 family tents have been delivered
Volunteers’ efforts were further impeded by close to 200 aftershocks, which made checking through unstable structures incredibly tough.
Development minister Andrew Mitchell said that, despite ‘very considerable strain’ on the UK aid budget, the Government would be able to provide the support needed in Turkey and Syria.
Speaking on Sky News, he said: ‘The aid budget is under very considerable strain. But Britain always carves out a certain amount to cope with humanitarian crises. That is what people in Britain expect us to do.
‘Britain is always there first and in strength to help when these appalling catastrophes take place. And we will be there this time.
‘And the humanitarian budget is in a way slightly separate from the steady state international development budget, and it is there specifically to respond to crises like these.
‘The humanitarian budget is very carefully coordinated and set and it reacts to the need on the ground.
‘You could never tell at the beginning of the year what humanitarian crises are going to take place and therefore it has to be a flexible part of what we do.’
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