Quake could be one of deadliest in last 100 years

The death toll for the quake that hit Turkey and Northern Syria may reach 20,000. For Syrians, the quake has struck a population already overwhelmed by the impacts of war

In today’s edition: first announcement on policy reprioritisation expected today; Chris Hipkins meets Anthony Albanese; study finds removal of fee on prescriptions could significantly improve the health of New Zealanders; but first, the latest on the devastating quake as rescue efforts continue in Turkey and Syria

A man searches the collapsed building to hear a sound from his loved ones in Hatay, Turkey (Photo: Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Death toll from quake anticipated to rise

At the time of writing, the confirmed death toll from the earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria has reached over 6,000 but the World Health Organisation fears it may rise to 20,000. That toll would put it alongside the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan which killed 19,759 people (with 2,553 people still declared missing in 2021) and caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. It could also make it one of the 20 most deadly earthquakes in the last 100 years. The latest summary from the Guardian reports that an estimated 23 million people, including 1.4 million children, are likely to be affected by the quake. 

Worst quake to strike Turkey this century

Rescue efforts are being conducted in the freezing cold, heavy rain and snow with a deficit of equipment to rescue people from beneath the rubble. There is an increasing sense of urgency and desperation as with each passing hour, the chance of finding survivors decreases. These photos and videos reveal the absolute devastation caused by the worst quake to strike Turkey this century. On its own, the magnitude of the quake classifies it as major, but the loss of life has been exacerbated by it hitting in the early hours of the morning and the lack of quake resilience in many of the flats and apartments where people lay sleeping. Turkey’s disaster management agency said it had 11,342 reports of collapsed buildings, of which 5,775 had been confirmed. Building standards are already being called into question.

Quake exacerbates suffering of already displaced Syrians

In north-west Syria, where 91% of the people are dependent on aid to survive as the country enters its twelfth year of civil war, hospitals are already overwhelmed. Three million people have already been displaced by war in the north-west. As the Guardian reports, Ismail Alabdullah, a volunteer with a rescue organisation, said he initially thought the noise of the quake and collapsing buildings was “bombs being dropped”. Rescue efforts are being hampered by infrastructure already badly damaged by war.

New Zealand makes initial donation

New Zealand is giving $1.5m to help in the wake of the earthquake. Foreign minister Nanaia Mahuta said the initial contribution would go towards the response in Turkey and Syria, to help meet the humanitarian need. In a Facebook post, New Zealand Red Cross has said its working closely with the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, Kizilay – Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent to understand what help is needed, so it can provide the most effective support over the coming days and weeks. Three airports across Turkey have suffered significant damage, creating challenges for aid deliveries.

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Government may giveth and taketh away today as first announcement on policy reprioritisation expected

As the Herald’s Thomas Coughlan reports we may get the first announcement on the government’s policy reprioritisation after cabinet meets today. Coughlan notes that the government will want to show it’s refocusing and not just killing things off and new policy may also be announced. Trailered for what feels like a longer run than Country Calendar, it could be that the TVNZ/RNZ merger is culled. Speaking about that to RNZ’s Kathryn Ryan last week, Chris Hipkins said that “a good closer look" was needed but also that “the broadcast media landscape has changed dramatically and it's going to continue to change. If we don't evolve and adapt with that, we'll be left with out-of-date approaches to media that will be well and truly left behind by the private sector." Not quite substantive enough to put a bob each way on the merger’s fate. Newsroom’s Tim Murphy also has a good report on the contracting of two former National party government aides by TVNZ’s CEO Simon Power to work on policy and communications around the merger.

Scampi for lunch as Hipkins ticks off first overseas visit

Stewart Sowman-Lund was in Canberra with the prime minister yesterday and reports that while there wasn’t anything new to announce, it was an opportunity to prove that the trans-Tasman relationship is safe in his hands and that he’ll keep pushing for New Zealand’s interests. They ate scampi and Albanese upped his game on the gift exchange. Australian media picked up on Hipkins’ insistence he will be upfront about disagreements with China even as he and Albanese “seek to deepen trade ties” with the superpower. Australia’s trade minister has been invited to Beijing to begin talks on lifting the current restrictions on Australian exports into China. Overall, most media acknowledged that Hipkins is naturally a bit green on foreign policy, as many new prime ministers are, but the job was done and he acquitted himself well.

Study finds removal of fee on prescriptions could significantly improve the health of New Zealanders

Researchers from the University of Otago are “strongly” recommending the $5 fee to get a prescription filled be removed as a “simple way to reduce health inequities”. A new study has found removing the fee could significantly reduce the number of hospital admissions and length of hospital stays. The findings, published in international journal BMC Health Services Research, showed that of every 100 people who received free prescriptions, 33​ were admitted to hospital, staying for 208​ days. Of every 100 people who still had to pay the fee, 41​ were admitted to hospital and stayed for 326​ days.

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