MORE than 21,000 people are now known to have died in Monday’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria – though the UN warns the disaster’s full extent is still unclear.
Rescuers are still searching rubble for survivors, but hopes are fading more than four days since the first quake.
Tens of thousands of people have spent a freezing fourth night in makeshift shelters, after losing their homes.
Turkey’s president called the quake “the disaster of the century”.
A major international relief effort is gathering pace. On Thursday the World Bank pledged $1.78bn (£1.38bn) in aid to Turkey including immediate finance for rebuilding basic infrastructure and to support those affected by the earthquakes.
Another donation came from the US, which pledged a package of $85m to both countries.
Meanwhile, the efforts of 100,000 or more rescue personnel on the ground are being hampered by logistical hurdles including vehicle shortages and devastated roads.
UN chief 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.
On Thursday, the first UN humanitarian aid crossed the border into north-western Syria through Idlib’s Bab al-Hawa crossing.
The crossing is the only way UN aid can reach the region without travelling through areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
