Lebanon says earthquake death toll of its citizens could rise


Jamie Prentis
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Lebanon has said that the number of Lebanese citizens killed in Turkey after the devastating earthquake there last week could rise.

The Lebanese foreign ministry said on Tuesday that nine Lebanese citizens are confirmed to have died, but six are missing and are probably under the rubble. On Wednesday, it was announced that the body of one of those missing had been found. Six of the dead were buried in Turkey at the request of their families, while the other three were repatriated to Lebanon, according to the Lebanese embassy in Ankara.

Another 70 were found alive after the earthquake that has so far killed more than 40,000 in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

The situation regarding Lebanese citizens in Syria is less clear, but local reports suggest at least three have died ― although the figure is likely to be much higher.

While many in Lebanon were awoken in the early hours of last Monday by the earthquake, the country has been relatively unaffected ― although the tremors and confusion brought back memories for some of previous conflicts and the deadly 2020 Beirut port blast.

Lebanon has sent rescue teams and military units to Turkey and Syria to support relief efforts.

A high-level delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, was sent to Damascus soon after the earthquake for talks with Syrian officials, including President Bashar Al Assad, to see how Lebanon could support Syria.

Lebanon has waived taxes and fees for any Syrian-bound humanitarian aid arriving at Lebanon’s ports and airports.

A steady trickle of aid has been arriving in Lebanon for affected areas. The most recent was a Romanian military plane that arrived on Tuesday carrying more than five tonnes of medical aid, food and winter clothes.

  • A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images
    A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images
  • A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo
    A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo
  • A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images
    A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images
  • Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP
    Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP
  • Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo
    Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo
  • Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo
    Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo
  • A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP
    A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP
  • A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP
    A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP
  • A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP
    A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP
  • A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP
    A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP
  • Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
    Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
  • Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters
    Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters
  • A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters
    A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters
  • A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP
    A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP
  • Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP
    Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP
  • Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty
    Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty
  • Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP
    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP
  • A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP
    A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP
  • Destruction in Antakya. AP
    Destruction in Antakya. AP
  • A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP
    A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP
  • A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA
    A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA
  • Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
    Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA
  • A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP
    A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP
  • A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP
    A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP
  • Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP
    Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP
  • Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters
    Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters
  • A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters
    A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters
  • Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
    People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
  • Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
    Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
  • People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
    People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
  • Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP
    Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP
  • Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA
    Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA
  • An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
    An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
  • A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
    A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP
  • Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP
    Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP
  • People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters
    People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters
  • Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP
    Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP
  • Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters
    Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters
  • A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP
    People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP
  • Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP
    Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP
  • Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National
    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National
  • A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo
    A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo
  • A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo
    A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo
  • Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters
    Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters
  • A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP
    A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP
  • Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
    Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP
  • Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
    Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters
  • Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
    Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
  • A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
    A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
  • A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
    A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP
  • UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters
    UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters
  • Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
    Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
  • People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
  • A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
    A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters

Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Lebanese armed group and political party, announced at the weekend that it had sent a convoy of 23 lorries carrying food and medical aid to Syrian government areas.

Hezbollah is a close ally of the Syrian government and has fought alongside the Syrian military and its allies during the civil war there.

Updated: February 17, 2023, 11:02 AM