Officials say more than 46,000 people have perished and 84,000 structures have been seriously damaged 12 days after the massive Turkey-Syria earthquake.
While Turkey confronts its worst contemporary catastrophe, worries are mounting over the victims of the disaster in Syria, with the World Food Programme (WFP) pushing northwest authorities to cease barring the region's entry to aid tens of thousands of affected families.
The number of people killed in the Turkey earthquake is now at 40,642; in neighboring Syria, the death toll is still above 5,800 and hasn't moved in days, Al Jazeera reported.
Saturday in Antakya, southern Turkey, Kyrgyzstani workers sought to rescue a Syrian family of five from a building's wreckage. Three people-one of them a child-were found alive and unharmed. The rescue crew reported that the infant died of dehydration after the parents survived. A twin and one elder sister did not survive.
Ghanian Footballer Found Dead
Christian Atsu, a former Ghanaian international, was discovered dead on Saturday, February 18, nearly two weeks after a deadly earthquake in Turkey.
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Syria and Turkey on February 6 killed more than 45,000 people in both nations, including the ex-Chelsea winger.
Initial rumors that the former Newcastle and Chelsea footballer had been saved a day following the earthquake proved to be untrue.
Christian Atsu corpse was discovered under the wreckage of luxurious apartments that collapsed in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, according to his manager in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, who spoke to the DHA news agency on Saturday, as per a report form CNA.
Uzunmehment said that they have recovered the remains of Christian Atsu while his "belongings are still being removed," including his phone.
The foreign affairs ministry of Ghana said that it had received tragic news on Christian Atsu.
The ministry said that Christian Atsu body was found at the scene along with an officer from the Ghanaian embassy, his older brother, and his twin sisters.
Ghana said that it was coordinating with the Turkish authorities to arrange for the return of Atsu's remains for burial in his own country.
Midfielder Atsu played for Chelsea for four seasons before moving permanently to Newcastle in 2017. He joined the Turkish Super Lig team Hatayspor in September.
Earthquake Victims At Risk of Infectious Diseases
Experts and medical professionals expressed alarm about the potential for disease to spread in the region where a large number of structures crumbled last week, damaging the sewage system.
The incidence of upper respiratory illnesses and intestinal infections had increased, but there was no immediate danger to the public's health, according to Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca on Saturday.
During a press conference in southern Hatay province, Koca said that they are currently focusing on managing the circumstances that might harm public health and "to prevent infectious diseases," per Reuters.
With so much vital infrastructure destroyed, aid organizations predict that the survivors will need assistance for months to come.
Turkey has ordered the imprisonment of more than 100 people, including developers, and vowed to look into anybody suspected of being responsible for the collapse of structures.
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