Follow the latest news on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria
British MPs have condemned Syrian President Bashar Al Assad for his regime’s “heinous” bombing of a rebel-held town shortly after the colossal earthquake struck.
Marea, a town 35km north of Aleppo, was shelled overnight by government forces, the UK’s House of Commons has heard.
Alicia Kearns, Conservative MP and chairwoman of the influential foreign affairs committee in the UK Parliament, told lawmakers the opposition-held enclave in north-western Syria had come under attack as locals dealt with the aftermath of the earthquake.
Her statement came after the White Helmets organisation of rescuers had issued a letter to diplomats urging them to pressure Damascus “to ensure that there is no bombing in the affected areas”.
“Yesterday he bombed Marea, which was an area affected by the earthquake, in what was a truly callous and heinous attack and opportunism for him to try to attack and destroy the moderate opposition,” Ms Kearns told MPs on Tuesday.
James Cleverly, the UK’s Foreign Secretary, criticised the Assad regime for the “completely unacceptable bombing” of an opposition-held enclave after the natural disaster.
Responding to Ms Kearns’ statement, he said she was “absolutely right to highlight the completely unacceptable bombing of areas in the immediate aftermath of this natural disaster.”
Earthquake strikes Syria and Turkey — in pictures
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A child being rescued from the rubble in this screengrab obtained from social media, in Bisnia in Syria. Reuters -
A rescued boy is given water in a bottle cap in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters -
A woman carries a box of food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
'We were screaming for help until people came to help us and they took us to the hospital', said Hamid from Homs who was injured in a building collapse. Matt Kynaston / The National -
Palestinians attend a vigil to exress solidarity with the people of Turkey and Syria in Khan Yunius in the southern Gaza Strip. AFP -
A collapsed building in Hatay, Turkey after a major earthquake struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6. EPA -
A Syrian man cries as he sits on the rubble of a collapsed building in the rebel-held town of Jindayris. AFP -
A man carries a girl who was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Hatay. EPA -
Members of the Turkish community in Berlin gather humanitarian aid. EPA -
A Turkish soldier in front of a collapsed building in Hatay. EPA -
The rubble of buildings in the village of Besnaya in Syria's Idlib province. AFP -
Russian rescuers search for survivors in the town of Jableh in Syria's Latakia province. AFP -
A photo taken with a drone shows an aerial view over collapsed buildings after an earthquake in Hatay, Turkey. EPA -
Destruction in Hatay city centre. AP -
Members of the Turkish community in Berlin collect aid to support victims. Reuters -
An injured man is carried to an ambulance after being rescued from the rubble in Hatay. Reuters -
A man carries an aid box in Hatay. Getty -
Bags of wood for fires are distributed in Hatay Turkey. Getty -
A man trapped in rubble waits while debris is removed in Hatay. AFP -
Residents look for their relatives in Hatay. AFP -
Rescuers look for survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings in Kahramanmaras, close to the quake's epicentre. AFP -
Emergency personnel search for victims at the site of a collapsed building in the city of Iskenderun. EPA -
Muhammet Ruzgar, five, is carried by rescuers from the site of a damaged building in Hatay. Reuters -
A newborn found attached by her umbilical cord to her mother and pulled alive from the rubble of a home in northern Syria receives care at a clinic in Afrin. AFP -
Women grieve in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters -
Smoke billows at the site of a collapsed building in Iskenderun, Turkey. Getty -
An Iraqi plane offloads aid at Damascus airport in Syria. Reuters -
Two people cry near rubble in Turkey's Hatay province. Reuters -
A damaged building in Iskenderun. EPA -
Rescuers search for survivors at the site of a collapsed building in Iskenderun. EPA -
Cennet Sucu is rescued from beneath the rubble of collapsed hospital in Iskenderun. Reuters -
Security forces load Red Crescent aid on to a plane destined for Syria at a military base in Baghdad, Iraq. Reuters -
People rest next to fire amid the rubble in Hatay, after a 7. 8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey's south-east. AFP -
Rescuers board a charter plane in Cologne, Germany, as they head to Turkey to assist in the search for find survivors of the quake. Reuters -
Injured survivors wait to be treated at a field hospital in Iskenderun,Turkey. Getty -
Residents of Turkish city Adana gather at the scene of a collapsed building. The death toll in Turkey and Syria has risen to more than 2,000 after the region's strongest quake in nearly a century. AFP -
Residents search for survivors amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in the village of Besnia, in Syria's north-western Idlib province. AFP -
A rescuer carries a Syrian toddler, Raghad Ismail, away from the rubble of a building. Reuters -
Residents wait anxiously as rescue operations take place in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Reuters -
Rescue workers search for survivors under the rubble in Diyarbakir. Reuters -
Residents search for survivors in Besnia, Syria. AFP -
A Syrian man weeps as he carries the body of his son who was killed in an earthquake in the town of Jandaris. AFP -
A wounded man in Jandaris. AFP -
Rescue workers search for survivors in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Reuters -
A man carries a girl to safety following the earthquake, in Jandaris, Syria. Reuters -
People receive treatment at Al Rahma hospital in the Syrian town of Darkush. AFP -
Rescuers carry a girl from a collapsed building, in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Reuters -
A survivor is extracted from the rubble in Diyarbakir. AFP -
The aftermath of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6 in Adana, Turkey. Reuters -
Rescuers work near the site of a collapsed building in Hama, Syria. Reuters -
Turkish sweet vendors at Dubai Waterfront Market watch earthquake updates on a phone. Victor Besa / The National -
Hayri Aggül and Ismet Guven watch the latest news on the disaster. Victor Besa / The National -
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad (C) leads an emergency cabinet meeting in the capital, Damascus. EPA -
Hundreds of people were killed as they slept. Abd Almajed Alkarh for The National -
Rescue teams search for survivors in Idlib, Syria. Abd Almajed Alkarh for The National -
Rescue teams look for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. AFP -
A desperate search for survivors in Aleppo. AFP -
Despair in Diyarbakir, south-eastern Turkey. AFP -
An injured survivor is pulled from the rubble in Diyarbakir. AFP -
Relatives face an anxious wait as emergency teams search for survivors in Diyarbakir. EPA -
Damage caused by the earthquake in Idlib, north-western Syria. Moawia Atrash for The National -
An injured child is plucked from the rubble of a building following the earthquake in rebel-held Azaz, Syria. Reuters -
A Syrian Civil Defence team recovering victims of the earthquake in Idlib. Moawia Atrash for The National -
Tremors were felt as far away as Cyprus, Egypt and Iraq. Moawia Atrash for The National -
Destruction in the rebel-held town of Jandaris, Syria. Reuters -
People search through rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Reuters -
A car is smashed up by fallen debris in Azaz. Reuters -
Damaged vehicles after the powerful earthquake in Diyarbakir. EPA -
Severe damage to a mosque in Malatya, Turkey. AP -
Several buildings collapsed, trapping many people underneath the rubble. AP -
Hospitals in north-eastern Syria were full of injured people. AFP -
An injured man waits for treatment at Bab Al Hawa hospital in Syria's Idlib province. AFP -
A car is buried underneath the rubble of a collapsed building in Azmarin, a town in Syria's Idlib province. AP -
Rescuers search for victims as an ambulance waits. AFP -
An injured child awaits treatment at Bab Al Hawa hospital. AFP -
Rescuers search through the rubble for survivors. EPA -
The US Geological Survey said the quake began at 4.17am local time. EPA -
People at the site of a collapsed building. EPA -
The earthquake in Turkey caused widespread destruction. AP -
People gather around a collapsed building in Pazarcik, in Turkey's Kahramanmaras province. AP -
At least 130 buildings collapsed in the Turkish city of Malatya. Reuters -
Rescuers search for victims in Diyarbakir. AFP -
Rescuers carry a victim at the site of a collapsed building in Hama, Syria. AFP -
Rescuers search for survivors in Hama. AFP -
Rescuers carry a victim pulled out from under the rubble of an eight-storey building. AFP -
Damaged buildings in Hama. The aftershocks of the quake were felt in Syria and other neighbouring countries. Reuters -
A Syrian Civil Defence representative said the situation in the city was catastrophic. Reuters -
The death toll is expected to rise in Turkey and Syria. Reuters
“Sadly it speaks to a long-standing pattern of behaviour by the Assad regime, a regime that we condemn, have sanctioned and will continue to bring about sanctions — working with our international friends and partners — to try to prevent behaviour like this occurring again,” he added.
Three British nationals are missing following the earthquake, Mr Cleverly said. He said the Foreign Office’s Crisis Response Hub is assisting 35 Britons caught up in the disaster.
More than 5,000 people across both nations are so far confirmed to have died in Monday's earthquake as a search and rescue operation continues.
Difficult conditions, including freezing temperatures, are said to be hampering efforts, particularly in rebel-held Syria, where people have fewer resources and there is a lack of routes to deliver aid through.
Twelve crew members from London Fire Brigade will join 76 search and rescue specialists being sent to the region by the UK government to assist efforts on the ground. They will be accompanied by four specially-trained dogs and specialist equipment.
Rishi Sunak said his government is working to send support to communities affected “as quickly as possible”.
“It’s obviously an incredibly tragic situation that we’re all seeing in Turkey and Syria,” the Prime Minister said.
“I want everyone to know that we are doing what we can to provide support, we are in touch with the authorities in both Syria and Turkey.
“And specifically we are in the process of sending 77 search and rescue experts to Turkey — that’s the most immediate need that they have communicated to us that we can help with — we do have people who are particularly experienced at that.
“We will be sending that support as quickly as possible.”
Footage posted on social media purports to show a building in Aleppo crashing to the ground as onlookers fled for shelter.
The Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity joined the White Helmets in appealing to the international community to pressure the Assad government to refrain from attacking areas hit by the disaster.
In a letter sent to hundreds of diplomats, the association said it had joined the rescuers “in calling on the international community to take action after the catastrophic earthquake that has caused widespread destruction and loss of life” in north-western Syria.
“It also urges the international community to support the rescue of civilians in Syria and to put pressure on the Assad regime and its Russian ally to ensure that there is no bombing in the affected areas,” the association said of the appeal.
The north-western province of Idlib was among Syria’s worst-affected areas.
The association has called for all border crossings to be opened amid reports the government was allowing aid to enter the region via only one crossing.
