It has been more than nine days since Türkiye and Syria were devastated by an earthquake that is now known to have killed over 41 000 people and injured many others.
Thousands have lost their homes, most of which have been damaged and turned to rubble.
The WHO has described the earthquake disaster as one of the worst disasters that hit Türkiye in modern-day history.
On the other hand, with Syrias ongoing war, many people wait for assistance.
Although many days have passed since the earthquake, search, and rescue operations continue in the hope of finding survivors.
SkyNews reported a handful of miracle rescues in Türkiye took place 198 hours after the earthquake on Tuesday.
An 18-year-old man was rescued.
Also, a 77-year-old woman was reportedly rescued after some 212 hours in the rubble.
Experts say that people may survive in the rubble for a week or more depending on the injury, how trapped they are, and what the weather is like over the days.
Tragic situation in Syria:
As the aid convoy enters Bab Al-Hwa crossing into Syria, the biggest concern at this point is the impact of the earthquake on children and their mental health as well as on pregnant women.
Syria has also been battling a cholera outbreak.
As of 14 January 2023, the northwestern region of Syria recorded more than 37 500 cases of cholera, including 6 000 in January alone.
UNICEFs spokesman in the Middle East to Syria TV said that it was catastrophic lack of basic necessities and the risk of malnutrition is alarming.
Moreover, today, over 500 schools have been damaged, water supply is running low even the RUFT biscuits that are essential to survivors.
The most important thing is time, which is needed to figure out how much money is necessary to move forward and the protection of children with an urgent focus on their mental health and nutrition.
Turkey arrests contractors
Turkey reports over 50 000 buildings have collapsed and around 30 000 homes need to be demolished because of the earthquake.
Nonetheless, with weak enforcement of laws and regulations in place, there have been several arrests of contractors taking place over the last few days, with many attempting to flee Turkey.
These contractors are being accused of unlawfully authorizing the construction of buildings that have not used the correct materials.
The illegally built buildings have even been certified as safe.
This is against the law, which caused further damaged buildings.
The government has vowed that they will be investigating these contractors as well as anyone who could be involved.
Anger growing
In both Turkey and Syria, the speed of the rescue operations and the lack of assistance from both governments have been criticised.
Many questions regarding preparedness and response are being raised.
Despite this, Türkiyes strongman leader Recep Tayyip Erdo?an admitted that there were shortcomings, but that they will not leave anyone.
Finally, Syria is entering a new era and needs all the support it can get.
There is a big change to how the world will work with Syria.
Türkiye and Syrian people will be waiting to see how they will be able to move on with their lives, but for now, the call for relief continues.
