Japan plans more aid as Turkey-Syria quake death toll passes 15,000

Pictures like this one here always leave me feeling amazed at how some buildings are seemingly unscathed, while the one next door is demolished.

Earthquakes are the one "natural" disaster that scare the crap out of me, just about every other one, I feel like I can prepare for and "live" through or avoid. Not an earthquake.

Yet continued Western sanctions don't allow aid from most nations into Syria. Can't they be suspended??

Many of the standing buildings have become dangerous or uninhabitable. Tragic loss and suffering. Syria banned all UN agencies.

Earthquakes are the one "natural" disaster that scare the crap out of me, just about every other one, I feel like I can prepare for and "live" through or avoid. Not an earthquake.

Properly built buildings do not fall down like you see in the images coming from Turkiye. The Turks have inadequate seismic standards, mostly fail to enforce the standards they have and despite a deadly 1999 earthquake that killed some 20,000 Turks, there has been no real effort to reinforce old buildings or improve compliance with existing seismic standards for new construction. Istanbul has whole city blocks full of unpermitted buildings that are basically beyond the reach of the law because of the economic interests that own them. And if you write critically about this in Turkiye you more often than not end up arrested for insulting this or that government agency. Even now the Turkish government has shut down Twitter because users were using Twitter to complain about the government's slow response to the disaster.

Poor nations and poor people cannot afford to build earthquake-proof housing and buildings. Essential buildings like hospitals and schools need the highest standards possible. There is no country with seismic standards to withstand a 7.6 mag quake.

This is a disaster on a massive scale.

Good to see some actual aid being sent. The thoughts and prayers don't seem to be working.

They cannot afford NOT to build earthquake proof buildings.

Human lives are at stake.

There is no country with seismic standards to withstand a 7.6 mag quake.

This is not true. Most buildings will sustain damage at that scale, but earthquake standards are meant to prevent catastrophic building failure, not damage. Frank Lloyd's Imperial Hotel famously survived the 1923 M7.9 earthquake. It was damaged, but lasted several more decades. There were other steel and concrete buildings that fared even better than Lloyd's building during that quake.

The problem in many countries is corruption leading to cost cutting and skimping on metal reinforcing and using a less than adequate concrete mixture.

amid the widespread loss of lives and destruction, it is heartwarming to see the international community responding quickly to provide aid.

It is good to see the world sending aid to Turkie.

Back home a large portion of the population are Lebanese immigrants many of my classmates were from there.

They are a mixture of Syrian Catholic and Syrian Orthodox Church.

They have organized money, medicine, clothing, blankets etc... For Syria but not even the 2 religions joining force can get the ball moving due to sanctions.

But I honestly don't think many in the west care, wrong type of people.

Disgusting double standards! Don't the civilians of Syria have a value??? No because the great USof A says that don't.

Assad of Syria could care less about his people, the fewer the better as far as he is concerned.

But the rest of the world does and should. this is a humanitarian mission and I hope that Japan and many more will help the Syrian people as well as Turkey too.

The most scary part was to buried alive.

A mother gave birth to a child under the debris. The newborn survived but not the mother.

7.0 to 7.9 mag is a major earthquake with serious damage.   10-15 times per year they happen.

There is just one small airport nearby. All the major roads have been destroyed. Places are cut off.

We should send as many people that we can. This is valuable first hand experience and training. We will probably be next, so having experts is important. Tokyo’s expected death toll is 335,000, and one million buildings damaged.

Millions of $$$ and supplies for humanitarian aid were provided to Syria during the civil war by many countries including the US, UK, Canada, Japan, etc. The problem was misappropriation of funds and supplies by the Syrian gov't as they used the funds to fuel weapons and military activities. They can't be trusted. Even before the civil war, Syria's infrastructure was weak as they decided to spend more on their military rather than for the general population. The civil war hasn't ended. It's still a battlefield yet there those complaining international aid is slow. Well what do you expect. Would you go to warzone if you're a private rescue/aid group?

Turkey isn't a poor country. They have a history of earthquakes yet haven't done much to improve their buildings or general preparedness. Nothing is full-proof but improving buildings' integrity could've saved a lot of lives.

International aid whether gov't sponsored or private takes time to organize and activate. Which means first responders are domestic. If you as a gov't choose to ignore these needs you're negligent.

There is no country with seismic standards to withstand a 7.6 mag quake.

Refitting existing buildings is costly but building a new building to the most demanding code is not going to cost a lot more than building one to a lesser code. California requires hospitals to withstand at least a M8.0 earthquake. That requirement came out of the 1994 Northridge quake where several important regional hospitals were damaged and out of service. Enforcing the standard has been painful but most hospitals have complied and only a few closed rather than absorb the cost.

Los Angeles forced all the owners of apartment buildings with "soft story" ground floor parking to add reinforcing pillars and sheer walls to prevent a repeat of some apartment building failures noted during the Northridge quake like the Northridge Meadows collapse. All the old 100 + year old 13 story concrete and masonry buildings in downtown LA (LA had a 13 story limit for seismic safety until the 1960s) have had big steel beams added inside. All the brick buildings in LA have been reinforced too. In the long run building to high standards is a helluvalot cheaper than what Turkiye is suffering through. There is the terrible human suffering that is truly unnecessary and this thing is going to destroy banks and insurance companies, and set their whole economy back.

And exactly when did Japan's disaster relief team arrive to help ?

Two days after the incident ?

Anybody know 

They left Japan on Monday.

Disgusting double standards! Don't the civilians of Syria have a value??? No because the great USof A says that don't.

The Syrian government won't let anyone in to Syria to provide disaster relief. They turned down an Israeli offer to send a search team and field hospital. The Syrian government won't let UN teams in either.

Northern Syria is controlled by several militias some of which are allied to Turkiye, some are Kurdish and Turkiye's enemy while the largest is a supposedly former Al Qaeda affiliate called HTS that is competing with the Turkish backed factions for control of northern Syria. The UN is able to bring aid into northern Syria through one border crossing from Turkiye but the roads into the region are damaged and there is no nearby airports to land disaster relief teams or supplies.

Many people in Turkey are poor.

Definately...but what about Syria? They deserve the world,s help / aid equally. This is no time for political sanctions bs.

The Syrians won't let the UN provide disaster relief. There are 300 Russian soldiers supposedly helping but that is it.

The problem in many countries is corruption leading to cost cutting and skimping on metal reinforcing and using a less than adequate concrete mixture.

The five big construction companies in Turkiye are affiliated with the AKP and Sultan Erdogan. As a result they are more or less untouchable and able to cut all the corners they desire without fear of local building and safety authorities stopping any of their projects for failure to comply with building codes. There are whole city blocks in Istanbul of unpermitted construction that in all likelihood meets no building code and are a disaster waiting to happen.

Rodney

Today 11:36 am JST

We should send as many people that we can. This is valuable first hand experience and training. We will probably be next, so having experts is important. Tokyo’s expected death toll is 335,000, and one million buildings damaged

Why do people always have to exaggerate?

I was part of the rescue team sent From my country to Mexico city in 1985.

14+ million people, 8.1 magnitude, poorly constructed buildings, etc...

Casualties estimate varie from 5,000 to 45,000 dead and 30,000 injured.

Now Tokyo is far more modern, has far better earthquake resistant buildings a far more modern rescue system from around the country.

335,000 dead no way!

gintonic

Today 12:12 pm JST

If CBC is correct, even if the Syrian government was given supplies a good portion of the affected area is under forces opposed to the Damascus regime as well as eachother.

Again if CBC is correct, one of the hardest hit areas prior to the earthquake was only able to be supplied via turkey and that has been cut off now due to the earthquake.

The responsibility should be on which country is supporting the faction or factions controling the region that was hit.

So basically, Russia will only help if it’s about killing people. Syria thought they’re friends but they’renonly worth 300 soldiers.

Personally I think the Japanese system of reporting Shindo, perceived shaking at the surface, is far more meaningful than simple "magnitude". Depending on subsoil and how the movement propagates, a quake that is shallow but not large in magnitude terms can be completely devasting at the surface. The magnitude number alone only tells us part of the picture.

A powerful disaster in a major war zone is always going to cause major difficulty of getting foreign aid in. Assad and Putin have destroyed much of the country and infrastructure. UN aid will go via third party NGOs.

It was the Syrians who started their civil war against Assad long before ISIS and Russia were there. Assad destroyed much of the country outside of Damascus. ISIS in the north captured the Kurdish oil field then the US stepped in.

It was the Syrians who started their civil war against Assad long before ISIS and Russia were there. Assad destroyed much of the country outside of Damascus. ISIS in the north captured the Kurdish oil field then the US stepped in.

Wait the USA illegal invasion, destabilization, if Iraq has nothing to do with it ?

Really? So the Kurd staking their own territory in Iraq, the rest of the weapons ending up in the hands of different factions, ISIS taking Kurd territory.

All of that had nothing to do with creating the conditions for civil war to start?

Wow Syria must have been in some special vacuum isolation that none of that contributed.

Very sad....Heartbreaking to watch.

@Michael Machida The sky is falling all lives are at stake, now what?

*They cannot afford NOT to build earthquake proof buildings.*

Human lives are at stake.

@Awa no Gaijin Planning is part of doing something. Reading and complaining is apart of doing nothing. Keep reading! My question to you is how are you contributing? Crickets!!!

plans to provide additional support to areas hit by a powerful earthquake

What the heck are you waiting for ? Stop dithering and do it !

With Japan's disaster relief rescue team having started work in Turkey's southern province of Kahramanmaras, Kishida said

And exactly when did Japan's disaster relief team arrive to help ?

Two days after the incident ?

Anybody know ?

Thank you, Japan, for sending assistance and offering more. Japan is in a very good position to offer expertise in this kind of emergency, and we also know the time will come when we need help again, too.

So basically, Russia will only help if it’s about killing people. Syria thought they’re friends but they’renonly worth 300 soldiers.

Leave Russia in peace, Russia's helping in her own way. I've just learnt from the news, that no one Europen country did not provide assistance to Syria. Didn't even offer! This is information from the Syrian side. Don't tell about the North of Syria. In other parts of the country children live as well.

SIS in the north captured the Kurdish oil field then the US stepped in.

IS captured a large swath of both northern Syria and a huge area of Iraq. You might remember the tragedy of their genocide of the Yazidis. IS took over several important Iraqi cities. The US led a coalition of nations in Europe, the Middle East and even Australian forces to push IS out. They have been successful in that endeavor. That oil field you mention was one of their primary sources of revenue to fund their war. Keeping US forces in that oil field helps starve IS of money to regroup.

The death toll is now more than 20,000.