Unesco fears damage to Syrian, Turkish heritage sites following devastating earthquakes

Focus

08 Feb 2023 03:36pm

An injured child being carried out from the ruins due to the devastating earthquakes that have hit Turkey - FILE PIC

PARIS -The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Tuesday expressed concerns over damage to Syrian and Turkish heritage sites and vowed support for the two earthquake-devastated countries, reported Xinhua.

Following an initial survey of damage to heritage carried out alongside national authorities, UNESCO said: "In Syria, UNESCO is particularly concerned about the situation in the Ancient city of Aleppo, which is on the List of World Heritage in Danger." Significant damage had been noted in the citadel, UNESCO said. The western tower of the old city wall had collapsed, and several buildings in the souks had been weakened.

Meanwhile, in Türkiye, several buildings in the city of Diyarbakir have collapsed. The city is home to the World Heritage site "Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape", an important centre for the Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman periods.

UNESCO's experts, with the cooperation of national authorities, are trying to establish a precise inventory of the damage to sites on the World Heritage List.

"My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who died. My thoughts are also with the injured and all those affected. Our Organisation will provide assistance within its mandate," said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO's Director-General.

A powerful magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Türkiye's southern province of Kahramanmaras at 4:17 a.m. local time (0117 GMT) on Monday, followed by a magnitude 6.4 quake a few minutes later in the country's southern province of Gaziantep, and a magnitude 7.6 earthquake at 1:24 p.m. local time (1024 GMT) in Kahramanmaras.

In the latest report by Xinhua, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said early Wednesday the death toll from Monday's devastating earthquakes in southern Türkiye rose to 5,894.

Meanwhile, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported 2,270 people have been killed in neighbouring Syria, according to the Health Ministry and the rescue organisation White Helmets which are counting the tolls in government-controlled and opposition-controlled areas respectively.

A Chinese rescue team departed from Beijing for Türkiye on a chartered plane on Tuesday afternoon, to join earthquake relief efforts in the country - BERNAMA