Syrian rescue workers carry a body near rubble after the earthquake in Sarmada, Syria, Feb. 6, 2023. (Credit: Aaref Watad/AFP)
BEIRUT — A Lebanese man and his son were pulled alive from the rubble of their home in Hatay, southern Turkey, Tuesday, a day after a devastating earthquake killed more than 6,000 people in the country and neighboring Syria, according to the latest provisional toll. As of Tuesday evening, six Lebanese have died in this natural disaster.
Mohammad Chamma and his son "were found alive Tuesday afternoon under the rubble of their house" in Hatay, Lebanon's ambassador to Ankara, Ghassan Moallem, confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour. "They were taken to hospital," he said. Unfortunately, Mohammad's wife, Suzanne, was pulled dead from the rubble, the mayor of al-Ghzayleh village municipality in Akkar confirmed to L'Orient Today. Mouallem, could not confirm the wife's death.
'Social networks and relatives'
Three other Lebanese are still missing in Turkey. They are trapped under the rubble of the Ozcan Hotel, also in Hatay, said Moallem. "They are Elias Haddad, Mohammad el-Mohammad and Bassel Habkouk. "Rescue workers are on the spot and are searching in the rubble."
Bassel Habkouk, originally from Maghdoucheh in South Lebanon, has not been seen since he took a room at the Ozcan Hotel, his brother Fadi told L'Orient-Le Jour's local correspondent. His brother told L'Orient-Le Jour that the man is a bus driver who was organizing trips to neighboring countries, that he was in Hatay on a "business trip" at the time of the earthquake.
"The rescue team is doing its work and we are waiting for information," Fadi Habkouk told our correspondent. According to local media outlet al-Nashra, Habkouk's family has appealed to Turkish authorities and Lebanese residents in Turkey to be alerted in case information emerges about their missing relative.
Ambassador Moallem added that a dozen other nationals "are well" and must be evacuated "to a safe place, from where they can leave the country, because some of them want to leave."
"What we learn, we learn through social media or via the relatives of the victims," he added. "The problem is that not everyone is registered at the embassy."
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is for the moment unable to give an assessment.
Lebanese priest dead in Syria
The mayor of Bramiyeh, in Saida, confirmed Tuesday morning that Father Imad Daher, a priest of a Greek-Catholic parish in Aleppo and a native of Bramiyeh, died in the earthquake in Syria. "His body was found under the rubble of the building where he lived in Aleppo," he told L'Orient-Le Jour's local correspondent. The Greek Catholic Patriarchate confirmed this information to Talal Daher, charge d'affaires at the Lebanese Embassy in Syria, who added that "for the moment, no further casualties have been counted or confirmed."
Lebanese Greek Catholic priest Imad Daher, killed in the deadly Feb. 6, 2023 earthquake in Syria. (Courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient-Le Jour)
In addition, Sawsan Nasouri and her daughter, Celine Haddam, both from Tripoli, were in the Syrian coastal city of Latakia when they died in the earthquake, according to their relative, Ahmad Haddam. He explained Monday that the mother and daughter were living in Syria because Celine Haddam was studying at the university there. Talal Daher was unable to confirm this information. Mayor Wadi Khaled Monday also confirmed the death of Wissam el-Assaad and his daughter Nadwa, who lived in the Turkish city of Gaziantep.
'We are not sure of anything'
These deaths bring the confirmed number of Lebanese killed in the deadly earthquake to six people.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to confirm this information. "We are not sure of anything at the moment. We have no certain information, neither on the number nor on the identity" of the victims, a ministry spokesperson said. The ministry published Tuesday a list of emergency numbers for Lebanese in Syria and Turkey.
Lebanese rescue workers have been dispatched to Turkey and Syria to assist local teams. The Lebanese army announced Tuesday that it was sending 15 members of its engineering regiment to Syria to help with search and rescue operations.
Lebanese Civil Defence gather ahead of leaving to quake-hit Syria on a rescue mission, in Beirut, Lebanon February 7, 2023. (Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir)
The Lebanese Red Cross has also sent a team of rescue workers to Syria. Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said Monday that Lebanon had sent a team of about 30 rescue workers to Turkey.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati announced Tuesday that a ministerial team will visit Syria to discuss “humanitarian matters” and the repercussions of the earthquake.
Additional reporting by Muntasser Abdallah.
