麻豆社

The death toll from Monday's earthquake in Turkey and Syria has now passed 21000 people. And many more survivors are living in precarious conditions. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, warned the full extent of the catastrophe was still "unfolding before our eyes", especially in Syria where a long-running civil war has devastated the country and left a patchwork of rival militias and armed groups in charge.

The White Helmets rescue group said the only UN convoy that reached the region did not contain specialised equipment to free people trapped beneath the rubble.

But the Syrian government is still resisting pressure to open the rebel controlled areas to international teams. Kinda Alhourani -the Protection Manager at the Syrian Expatriates Medical Association - was in the city of Gaziantep in south-east Turkey near the epicentre of the quakes all this week before evacuating to Istanbul last night, from where she spoke to 麻豆社 Newsday.

鈥淚n Syria everything is collapsing. The border is closed, no aid in four days. There is no instruments [to help search for survivors], people are using their hands to find their relatives. People are living outside in the snow and rain. In Turkey there鈥檚 resources.鈥�

(Pic: White Helmet volunteers hold a child after pulling her out of the rubble in Jandaris, Syria; Credit: Reuters)

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