Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Time running out for Turkey earthquake survivors

Rescuers in Turkey
Hopes are fading of finding many more survivors from the Turkey earthquake. Keystone / Abir Sultan

Swiss rescue workers fear the chances of finding earthquake survivors are diminishing as the death toll in Turkey and Syria rises above 17,000.

Some 87 members of the Swiss Rescue unit, along with 22 personnel and 14 search dogs from Redog, have rescued 37 people from the rubble of toppled buildings in Turkey.

But the chances of finding more survivors are fading given the time people have been trapped without water in freezing conditions, rescuers said.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the border of Turkey and Syria on Monday, causing devastation in the region.

The Swiss contingent, which is part of an international rescue force of 90 teams, will be supplemented by 10 members of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit later this week, according to the news agency Keystone-SDA.

Politics hampers Syria rescue

Staff from the Swiss charity Caritas are helping coordinate humanitarian assistance in Syria.

But rescue operations in Syria are being hampered by strained political relations between the country’s regime and many other nations.

“We must separate political considerations from the humanitarian imperative,” Robert Mardini, Director-General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told Swiss public broadcaster RTS on Thursday.

“There is no difference between the suffering of Turkey and Syria following this devastating earthquake. We must show solidarity with Syria.”

Some 500 ICRC workers already operate in Syria, which has been devastated by more than a decade of civil war.

Swiss Solidarity, the humanitarian arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation – swissinfo.ch’s parent company – has raised several million francs after launching an appealExternal link.

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Swiss army seeks to buy German howitzers

More

Swiss army plans to buy German howitzers

This content was published on The Swiss army wants to purchase new German armoured howitzers to replace its existing artillery system which has been in operation for over 50 years.

Read more: Swiss army plans to buy German howitzers
US opinion polls show Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump virtually even ahead of the November 5 election.

More

Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland

This content was published on Around a quarter of Swiss citizens would vote for Donald Trump if they had the chance, according to a recent poll. This percentage is higher than in many other European countries.

Read more: Poll suggests Donald Trump has many fans in Switzerland

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR