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Earthquake's Death Toll Jumps To Over 4300 In Turkey And Syria; U.S. Searches For Wreckage Of Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon; Biden To Deliver Second State Of The Union Address To Divided Congress, Nation. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 07, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. I'm John Vause. Coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom, help is coming. A global effort to find survivors and care for the wounded and homeless stepping up as Turkey and Syria struggle in the wake of Monday's powerful quake.
Troop call up Ukraine intelligence believes Russia set to mobilize half a million troops within months.
And the balloon incursion, the Biden administration under fire from Republicans demanding to know why it took so long to shoot down what was almost certainly a spy balloon sent by China.
At this hour, the search for survivors goes on and the death toll keeps rising rapidly in both Turkey and Syria after the region was rocked by the biggest earthquake in almost a century. Officials have confirmed more than 4,300 dead across both countries. The World Health Organization has warned that number could increase by eightfold. More than 100 aftershocks from Monday's 7.8 earthquake have rattled the region, bringing down already damaged buildings.
Early estimates from the Turkish government put the number of destroyed buildings at almost 7,000, adding misery to desperation. Winter weather is hampering rescue efforts. Many survivors have been left on the streets in the cold, the rain and the snow.
A CNN producer who witnessed the earthquake in southern Turkey says it felt like Armageddon.
But Northwest Syria has been especially hard hit. Aleppo was the country's pre-war commercial hub. The UN says 12 years of civil war has left more than 4 million people there dependent on humanitarian assistance.
And everywhere there is heartbreak, like the anguish and grief from a father in Syria cradley his baby's lifeless body.
Rescue has managed to save a toddler from the rubble of his family's home. She's now staying with her uncle, who says the girl's pregnant mother and two siblings didn't survive.
Senior correspondents have been deployed across the region. Salma Abdelaziz is live in Istanbul in just a moment. Eleni Giokos is in Dubai. Hadas Gold standing by in Jerusalem, but we begin with Jomana Karadsheh and a warning her report contains some graphic images.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Flattened in seconds. Moments later, two aftershocks. A Turkish TV crew reporting live during the makings of an apocalyptic scene. The reporter grabbing a young girl as the rubble and smoke settles around them. Rescue efforts beginning immediately.
In southern Turkey a young man trapped desperation in his eyes. Then in the predawn darkness, a moment of joy hauled from the wreckage. This was a residential building full of families asleep in their homes when the massive earthquake struck.
UIHSAN CETINTAS, DYAKBAKIR, TURKEY RESIDENT (through translator): I was sleeping when my wife suddenly woke me up. The quake was very severe, very scary. It took almost two minutes until the shaking stopped.
KARADSHEH: As the hours go by, more rescues hospitals also begin to overflow reported dust going up by the hundreds each hour. Millions impacted.
In Syria, a father cries over his baby's limp body. Many children among the killed and injured. It's unclear just how many are still trapped and how many have lost their lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are twelve families and no one managed to get out. They are all inside here.
KARADSHEH: The White Helmets have done this before. Heroes of the Syrian civil war now pulling people out from under a very different disaster. So many in rebel held northern Syria had very little yesterday. Many had already lost everything displaced and really from years of war.
[01:05:01]
MAJED NASSARI, JINDAYRIS, SYRIA RESDIDENT (through translator): It's a disaster. All the floors crumbled into ruins. We need a month, maybe even three months to recover our dead.
KARADSHEH: A winter storm hitting the region only exacerbating the dire situation and slowing rescue efforts. In Turkey, two foreign help will be needed. World leaders are already pledging and deploying rescue teams. The search and rescue will stretch on for days, hope remaining as long as possible. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
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VAUSE: Live pictures now from Turkey, from the southern part of Turkey. This is the town of Hatay. This is one of the more devastated parts within this earthquake zone. It's just after 9:00 a.m. local time there on a Tuesday morning in Hatay.
This is where the airport was actually. The tarmac was split in two by the power of the earthquake. You see there the devastation of those buildings which have been simply picked up and tossed on their side, crushing cars beneath.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is live for us this hour in Istanbul, Turkey, and we're seeing these scenes spread out across southern Turkey. Just how devastating is this for the government right now? How are they coping with such a dire need?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In many ways, John, this is a country that has expected major earthquakes. It's part of its history, it's happened time and time again and it is along, of course, a major fault zone. But perhaps the part of the country, the south of the country near Gaziantep, which was struck by this earthquake, could have been the least prepared in Turkey. It's home to many Syrian refugees, many parts of a vulnerable population. So there's concerns about the structures, the buildings, the stability of places there.
And, of course, overnight now search and rescue operations very much underway overnight, hundreds of rescue workers coming from many countries around the world making their way to that impacted area. But they face a major challenge here, John, which is the weather. Winter storms have meant that it's difficult for planes to take off, roads are not clear. Then, of course, for those who are made homeless, there's, many families put out into the streets. That really adds misery, just the freezing temperatures, the snow, the colds.
This is going to be a very lengthy and complex operation. But these are the critical hours here, John, right. The 24 to 48 hours period after the earthquake is when there is still hope that people will be found alive under the rubble, and that hope is what people are clinging on to across Turkey.
Many people, of course, wondering where their loved ones are. They are missing, they're calling into the authorities with nothing more than a home address in hopes that they could get more information, that will absolutely be the priority on the ground for those authorities.
We do already have that death toll, rather of nearly 3,000 people killed in Turkey, some 15,000 people injured. But of course, that number expected to rise with the fears that many people remember this earthquake hit just after 04:00 a.m., so the fears that many people could have been buried alive in their homes.
For context here, John, an earthquake of the same magnitude hit Turkey in 1939 and that killed some 30,000 people.
Now, further to the south, to Syria, John, there the situation perhaps even more dire. A country that had already been in a state of catastrophe, particularly this northwest region of Syria, which is most affected by the earthquake, that is a place where the civil conflict played out in terrible ways. It means the critical infrastructure of that country has been severely damaged and destroyed.
We do know that according to various groups, there's some 1,400 people confirmed killed in Syria by this earthquake. But again, you have various authorities on the ground, from rebel groups to government sources, really a disaster hit area ever more vulnerable by this earthquake.
VAUSE: Salma, thank you. Salma Abdelaziz there in istanbul. Meantime, governments around the world are promising support and sending aid to Turkey and Syria. A plane carrying aid from Iran landed in Damascus a short time ago, reportedly carrying 44, 45 tons of assistance.
Search and rescue teams from Europe to Asia have been mobilized, including 76 specialists from the UK. The European Union has activated what's called the Crisis Response Mechanism in order to coordinate assistance and respond faster. Australia and New Zealand also promising humanitarian aid.
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ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: We have seen thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries through this tragedy, these multiple earthquakes that have hit the region having a devastating impact. Today, I can announce that the Australian government will provide an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected through our Red Cross and Red Crescent partners and through humanitarian agencies.
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VAUSE: According to the UN, the region of Syria most effective by the quake is home to more than 4 million people who are dependent on humanitarian assistance.
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Most of them are women and children who are already battling an ongoing outbreak of cholera, as well as a harsh winter. For more on all of this, let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos this hour in Dubai. Yes, the outbreak of cholera says something which obviously makes a bad situation a whole lot worse. But as aid arrives, how are they distributed? Isn't being coordinated because often these things you could just pile up at the airport.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And as you just said, and we've ascertained that there's that critical need where you've got personnel, you've got sniffer dogs, you have equipment that will help move some of this rubble to try and find people that are currently stuck. And then you have the secondary assistance where it comes in terms of aid, it comes in terms of dealing with the potential diseases that could play out. And of course, you've got to think about the winter weather right now, making the logistical part of this so much more difficult.
The synchronization of all of these aid agencies with the local authorities to try and ascertain where help is needed to deploy as quickly as possible, every minute, every hour is critical right now in terms of ensuring they find people alive under that rubble to pull people out.
I want to go through some of this, and I know you've mentioned it, U.S. deploying around 160 personnel into Turkey. They say they're working closely with Turkish authorities. We also know the EU has activated its crisis mechanism as well. But also interestingly, activation of satellite mapping services to assist personnel on the ground in terms of ascertaining where the hardest hit areas are and where to assist to try and save as many people as possible. The UAE and Qatar saying they're going to be sending personnel and also setting up field hospitals.
Now we have to remember that a lot of the hospital capacity is under pressure. Some hospitals were also devastated by this earthquake, John. So the value chain of what is required is absolutely enormous.
But the most critical part of this right now is finding people under the rubble that are currently stuck with over 100 aftershocks, after that big 7.8 magnitude earthquake.
And if we focus on Syria, the northwestern part of Syria rebel held territory, very difficult to get in and out sanctioned area of Syria as well, where the White Helmets that have been operating there during the 11-year war are pleading for more assistance.
Some eyewitnesses saying that the hotels, the hospitals rather, are not equipped to deal with people. There are no hotels, there are no shelters in order to assist the people that are suffering. And we're also hearing that people are sleeping out in the cold. That vital critical assistance needs to come quickly because it is absolutely urgent for the people that are affected from the images that we're seeing right now. John.
VAUSE: Yes. This is only going to get worse as it goes on before it gets better. That's going to go on for weeks, maybe months. Eleni, thank you so much in Dubai. We appreciate it.
Joining me now from Beirut, Lebanon, Arnaud Quemin, Regional Director of Mercy Corps. Sir, thank you for taking the time. Mercy Corps is focusing efforts primarily, I believe, in Syria, where it's been working for a while now. This is a region which has seen, you know, a decade or maybe more of civil war.
Now comes this earthquake. So, clearly everyone in the quake zone is facing their own struggles right now, but some more so than others. So, describe what it's like now in those devastated parts of Syria. Just how bad is it?
ARNAUD QUEMIN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, MERCY CORPS: Yes, so this situation is a long term situation that was impacted by 12 years of war. So, we have us serving before the earthquake about 98 camps where 300,000 people were depending on us to deliver water, food and other items to get shelter.
So having this earthquake comes right now in the middle of the winter with the heavy rains and snow makes these people who are already very fragile, even more so.
In addition to that, the host communities who were comparatively better off until now, immediately in an almost similar situation and we are now trying to pivot to see where the biggest needs are.
VAUSE: Before the earthquake, many places in Syria were dealing with this cholera outbreak. The areas where you've been working in, are you now expecting that outbreak to get exponentially worse in the weeks ahead?
QUEMIN: That is a genuine problem. We were -- yesterday getting reports that the boreholes, which are the main source of water for other people have been damaged, at least many of them, with the mud getting into the water, which increase the risk for waterborne disease to multiply. So, this is definitely something we are going to look at very closely to make sure that it does not grow exponentially.
VAUSE: Much of the coverage of the earthquake has been focusing on Turkey, and I guess it's simply because it's much easier to report from Turkey than Syria. Are you concerned though, that Syria could be overlooked by many donors because of that?
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QUEMIN: Definitely. Especially this part of Syria, which is very hard to get access to and until now was really relying on Turkey to provide supplies. Yesterday the border crossing point was closed. I need to check today if they plan to reopen them soon, but if not, that will be a major issue for us to be able to provide the basic necessities to the people who are there.
VAUSE: What would be your top three biggest needs right now?
QUEMIN: Now the biggest needs are shelter. So everything that can help people put the roof over their head now that the house is either destroyed or dangerous. We need also stuff to help people get warm, so blankets, carpets, plastic sheets to protect them. And then the last one, the big one is around water. So, finding a way to provide a clean and useful water for the big one.
VAUSE: Arnaud, thank you so much for being with us and I wish you all the very best as you continue with your efforts and your group mystical there in that quake zone. Thank you, sir.
QUEMIN: Thank you.
VAUSE: Still ahead here how the U.S. is recovering remnants of a China suspected spy balloon. What will the degree reveal? That's next here on CNN.
Also ahead, hours away from the U.S. president's state of the union address, a preview from Washington, what Joe Biden is expected to say to the American people and a divided Congress.
And later, we'll meet in the sky. The chief of the Wagner mercenary group poses a challenge to Ukraine's president as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Rescue efforts continue in both Syria and Turkey with more than 4,300 people confirmed dead. Harsh winter weather across the region has made search and rescue efforts difficult. Turkey's president says it's difficult to estimate how many lives have been lost.
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RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): We do not know how far the number of dead and injured will rise as debris removal works continue many buildings in the quake zone. Our hope is that we will recover from this disaster with the least loss of life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: More than 100 aftershocks have rattled the region since the initial quake and will bring you more on this story as the hour progresses.
A U.S. congressional source says high ranking lawmakers could receive an intelligence briefing on the suspected Chinese spy balloon as early as today. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CNN, he still has many questions about the incident. I hope they'll be answered during that briefing. He wants to know when the balloon was first detected and why the Biden administration waited days to shoot it down. Republicans say it should have happened way before it reached the U.S. mainland.
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MIKE ROGERS, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN: It should never been allowed to cross into our territory. That was my complaint.
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MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, they said that they learned about it.
ROGERS: No, they knew about it before it came across our borders. It should have been shot down before when it was over Canada and Alaska.
RAJU: Why wasn't it?
ROGERS: I don't know. It's a good question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard have been deployed to retrieve the balloons debris off the coast of South Carolina. CNN's Dianne Gallagher has details there on the operation of how to get that debris.
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DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Under the full moon. Just before dawn, we set out for sea. Captain Charlie readys his shrimp boat, the Linda Ann, dropping the outriggers, checking the radar, steering us towards the U.S. military's operation to recover debris from the suspected Chinese spy balloons.
The U.S. Air Force shot it down with a single missile on Saturday over the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 6 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach. The NORAD commander now saying the full payload was about the size of a regional jet, and the attached balloon was some 200 feet tall.
As day breaks, we began to see something on the horizon the first glimpse of a multi vessel mission, which officials say includes navy divers and ships coming from as far away as Virginia. A law enforcement source tells CNN the first pieces of sensitive spy balloon wreckage are already arriving at the FBI headquarters in Quantico for analysis. But recovery continues.
CNN captured this exclusive video of additional Navy salvage teams arriving in North Myrtle Beach today and setting out on two more boats towards the search area.
With restricted airspace above, the debris field at sea remains heavily protected. The Coast Guard warning our captain as we're getting too close.
CAPTAIN CHARLIE: Copy that. We'll go ahead and turn around.
GALLAGHER: Followed by a second call an hour later to confirm were leaving.
CAPTAIN CHARLIE: This is Linda Anne, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just wanted to confirm your intentions/
CAPTAIN CHARLIE: I've got news crews onboard, news crew and they were just trying to gt some video of the cutter and just trying to stay out of yours all's way.
GALLAGHER: The Coast Guard cutter following us to ensure we stayed clear of their work zone. Now, as for how long this stretch of ocean will remain restricted, a senior U.S. military official shared only that it would not be months or weeks. A fairly easy recovery, they said, because the spy balloon was shot down in just 47 feet of water.
GALLAGHER (on camera): Now, according to the NORAD commander, the USS Pathfinder, which is a survey ship, is on site, and it's using sonar to map out that debris area. I spoke with our captain here on the Linda Anne, and he said that makes sense. That's likely why that perimeter around the recovery site is so large. Remember, it is 20 miles.
And to give you an idea of just how big that is, you can see I am right up at shore right now, and we have just exited the perimeter. Dianne Gallagher, CNN off the coast of South Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Japan is also analyzing the Chinese balloon in the U.S. believing it may be related to similar objects detected in its own airspace. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live for us once again in Hong Kong.
So once they get all the debris, all the stuff recovered from the ocean and they put it together and they realized that, you know this really was a spy balloon, it's going to make these claims of a weather balloon look kind of silly. For the record, what is Beijing saying right now?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, China continues to double down on this message, insisting it was a civilian vessel that blew off course. Of course, we heard from the U.S. State Department overnight saying that explanation simply rings hollow. This was used for spycraft. Not only that, getting more details from U.S. officials about the debris that they've recovered from sea, according to the White House saying that they were able to find that this spycraft had propellers. It also had an aerial rudder, which gave it limited maneuverability.
But China again insisting a civilian vessel. China also condemned the U.S. operation to shoot down the balloon. They said it was an overreaction. China also said that it reserves the right to deal with a similar situation, but didn't elaborate. And there's also a really interesting statement that came out on Monday from the Vice Foreign Minister who blamed the United States and its handling of the Chinese balloon incident for further fracturing the U.S.-China relationship.
I'm going to bring up the statement for you. This was from Xie Feng, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, who said this what the United States has done severely impacted and undermined the efforts and progress made by the two sides to stabilize China-U.S. relations since the two countries leaders met in Bali, Indonesia.
Now the Chinese balloon incident caused a political uproar in the United States. It also prompted the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel that planned February visit to Beijing. The White House says this is not a craft that was used for meteorological purposes, but also saying that it will continue to maintain a calm approach in regards to U.S.-China relations. Let me just bring up this statement for you from the White House press secretary came out overnight and she said this, quote, it is up to China to figure out what kind of relationship they want. Unquote.
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The White House says Blinken will reschedule his trip to Beijing, but only when the time is right. John.
VAUSE: Well, that's a good sign, I guess. Look, this instant shines a spotlight on what, China's surveillance methods. On Monday, China claimed there was there's another balloon out there, a second one floating over Latin America. And this was also civilian purposes.
LU STOUT: Yes, that's what they're saying. I mean, it was an interesting moment. This happened on Monday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing, and our colleague Selina Wang asked the question and the response. We did receive confirmation. China said that the second balloon that has been floating over Latin America does indeed belong to China. And China again said, for civilian purposes and managed to blow off course.
But it raises so many questions. Number one, how many Chinese balloons are out there? Number two, what is their true intention? We're hoping to get more answers to that as the recovery and the analysis of the debris is underway. But also, number three, a question about the competency of the Chinese leadership, to what degree are they aware of and are in control of these sensitive assets that are floating all around the world? Because even China concedes that these meteorological balloons, as they call it, were blown off course, beyond their control. Back to you, John.
VAUSE: They can't control their balloons, it seems. Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout live for us in Hong Kong.
Well, the shooting down of the China balloon could loom over the State of the Union address Tuesday night. This week, President Joe Biden's first State of the Union with Republicans in control of the House and Phil Mattingly has details.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (on camera): For President Biden, the State of the Union address is an opportunity to talk to millions of Americans in prime time, probably his highest stakes, highest viewed speech that he's going to have throughout this entire year. It's something his advisers are keenly aware of. It's been a driving force behind hours, days, weeks, to some degree months of trying to put the State of the Union address together, something that kept the President at Camp David about four or 5 hours longer than he was supposed to be there on Monday before returning to the White House.
But when it comes to what's actually in that speech advisors are pretty keen to point out it's largely the same from what you've heard from the president over the course of the last several weeks. Talking about very clear accomplishments in his first two years, very clear progress in the first two years but also clear areas where there is still more work to do, work they hope can be done on a bipartisan basis.
And that's critically important because of who will be sitting behind the president on Tuesday night, speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, a Republican for the first time since President Biden has been in office, and certainly there have been no shortage of partisan brawls in the early stage of that new House Republican majority.
But the President, when asked what he wants to say to the American people. Well, he said this.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Yes, I want to talk to the American people and let them know the state of affairs, what's going on, what I'm looking forward to working on from this point on, what we've done, and just have a conversation with the American people.
MATTINGLY: Now, the President's advisers say there will be several key planks. There will be an economic plank, certainly a foreign policy plank. There will be a focus on police reform, particularly in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols on account of a police beating that was seen nationwide, really across the world in such a visceral fashion when that video was released.
But they also acknowledge the fact that this is very much laying the groundwork for another pretty critical moment that will be happening in the weeks ahead the likely announcement to seek reelection in 2024. To some degree, this is road testing a lot of the critical themes of this year, two years ahead of a presidential campaign.
Obviously, the President has not officially announced yet, but every adviser I've spoken to says it's definitely going to happen, and it's going to happen soon. You should probably view the State of the Union address as a tune up for that critical moment ahead that will drive the next two years.
Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And you can watch President Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday right here on CNN. Coverage begins. 08:00 p.m., in Washington, 9:00 a.m. in Hong Kong.
France is bracing for another day of industrial action as well as major disruptions. Many workers will walk off the job Tuesday in protest over government plans to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Millions took part in two days of strikes last month. Public transportation is likely to be a mess in the coming hours, and there will once again be school closures.
French lawmakers have been debating the contested pension reform bill. A fourth round of strikes and marches planned for Saturday.
When we come back, Monday's earthquake fell across the Middle East. A live report from Israel, where even the chandeliers were shaking. Well, what the country is now doing to help its neighbor.
And later in this newscast, we'll explain how a 100-year-old Ukrainian woman is helping this camouflage sniper her battle for her homeland. Coming up on CNN Newsroom.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Well, it's just 9:31 Tuesday morning across Turkey and emergency crews have been working through the night searching debris. This is the scene now in Diyarbakir (ph) where the sun is up and you
can see, 9:32 a.m. This is obviously a collapsed build. It looks like an apartment building.
This is a typical scene across many parts of Turkey right now. These buildings were not built to withstand a powerful earthquake like the one which happened on Monday, a 7.8 magnitude quake which brought down so many buildings. An estimated 7,000 buildings according to the Turkish government on an early assessment.
The U.N. says it's most powerful quake recorded in Turkey in more than 80 years. The official death toll approaching 4,400 in both Turkey as well as neighboring Syria. More than 19,000 are wounded.
There have been promises of humanitarian aid and it's coming in from around the world. Iran and Iraq sent planes carrying food, shelter, medical supplies to the Syrian capital. And the U.S. has deployed two search and rescue teams to Turkey who are offering much more aid.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: The Department of State is in close contact with our Turkish allies and our humanitarian partners. And our initial assistance response is already underway.
We are determined to provide any and all assistance to help those affected by these earthquakes. Secretary Blinken just got off the phone with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Cavusoglu of Turkey to reiterate the same message.
And we stand in solidarity with our allies, our partners and the people of Turkey and Syria affected by these terrible events.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Meanwhile many who lost their homes are now facing frigid temperatures. Heavy snow is hampering rescue efforts as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EL MOSTAFA BENLAMLIH, U.N. RESIDENT & COORDINATOR IN SYRIA: Many people are very scared. They do not want to go back to their houses. If we can call them house in these cases. They are ruined sometimes.
They are afraid of the tremors and some of them are quite strong. So they're spending their nights sometimes in freezing temperatures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: With that let's bring in CNN meteorologist Britley Ritz. So again, What are we looking at here in terms of -- for those people who are, you know, sleeping rough or outdoors? There is snow, there is rain -- obviously that needs to stop.
BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. This area of low pressure has been pretty potent and it just continues to sit over Syria and Turkey and the Middle East for that matter, all over.
Thankfully the precip finally starting to wind down a bit as this area of low pressure will slowly move out. But as it moves out, then the cold frigid air moves in.
We are coming into some of the coldest periods for this region of the season. And Aleppo this morning, right at five degrees.
[01:34:57]
RITZ: Now, mind you we are just above freezing but the colder air is yet to come. As the winds shift we will start to notice that here within the next 24 to 48 hours -- all the moisture keeping in some of that heat. So it benefits us.
But as soon as that moisture moves out the skies clear and all what is left of the heat escapes back up into the atmosphere. So through the overnight hours and early morning hours we wind up very cold.
So during that cleanup process or those of us who were left homeless wind up very frigid. So it's not a good situation there. There is the scattered shower activity, leftover snow. Where it is much colder of course, rain where it is warmer.
That continues on, very scattered over the next 24 hours but notice the clearing coming into Thursday. That is what I'm talking about. When that cold air sets in with the northerly wind.
So by Tuesday morning into Wednesday morning, you notice the blues really starting to steepen right over top of Syria and Turkey. So temperatures drop below freezing in some cases during the upcoming morning.
So here we are with the low temperatures over the next 72 hours -- Aleppo dropping below zero. And the highs for the upcoming days, thankfully above zero but still colder than what we should be this time of year at eight degrees all the way through the next 72 hours.
That 7.8 magnitude that happened on the 6th of February early in the morning. That is the epicenter but we had several occur right along the Arabian Plate and the Anatolian Plate.
This area right here along that flight as that Arabian Plate continues to push up, it pushes the Anatolian Plate back. So it is more of that strike-slide right along that horizontal nature.
And with that we expect more aftershocks through the upcoming hours just as we have been experiencing over the last few hours, John.
VAUSE: Britley thank you, we appreciate that update.
Well, the epicenter of the quake was in Turkey but it was felt as far way as Israel. The Israeli government has promised to send humanitarian assistance to Turkey and is making a similar offer to Syria.
Hadas Gold has more now from Jerusalem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: That massive earthquake was felt all the way down here in Jerusalem as well as across the West Bank and all the way through to Jordan waking some people from their sleep.
Some people telling me they were woken up by what seemed like their entire house shaking. And than that incredibly strong aftershock. People in northern Israel actually evacuating office buildings due to the strength of that aftershock. But no major injuries or damage have been reported in Israel across the Palestinian territories or in Jordan.
The Israeli military mean announcing that they are immediately sending around 150 search and rescuers, part of two flights. They'll be landing in Adana, just a couple of hours drive from the epicenter.
And the Israeli military is saying that actually so far the Turkish government had only requested search and rescuers. But that the Israelis are ready to send more including field hospitals.
Other Israeli aid groups have also told me that they are currently preparing planes to go to Turkey in the coming days.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying that Syria had requested aid from Israel via what he called a diplomatic element. An Israeli security source actually telling CNN that that diplomatic element was actually Russia, that the request was conveyed to the Israelis by Russia.
Now a request of that kind would be rather extraordinary because although Israel and Syria are neighbors they are formally at war and they have no diplomatic relations.
However an unnamed Syrian official has categorically denied there has been such a request telling the pro-government media outlet Al Watan (ph) that Netanyahu was trying to, as he said, exploit the catastrophe.
In the meantime in places such as Israel where they felt that initial tremor this has triggered the governments to start preparing for the next earthquake. Benjamin Netanyahu ordering a situation assessment for how prepared Israel will actually be for the next big one.
Hadas Gold, CNN -- Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Muzaffer Baca is vice president of the International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation, now coordinating their disaster response from the city of Gaziantep, about 30 kilometers from the epicenter of the quake. Sir, thank you for your time.
In terms of a disaster, two powerful earthquakes ongoing powerful aftershocks in an area which is not built to withstand earthquakes. There's hundreds of thousands now left homeless. It is winter. It's pouring rain, falling snow. It is hard to imagine how a disaster could get any worse.
So how difficult is it right now for your workers to deliver the assistance so many need at the moment and right away.
MUZAFFER BACA, VP, INTERNATIONAL BLUE CRESCENT RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION: As you know by the first day Turkish government and the first (INAUDIBLE) in the field, we issued international assistance calls. And because it's not an opportunity to (INAUDIBLE) by the local capacity of the search NGOs and district municipality and the third state.
[01:39:57]
BACA: We are grateful for the international response because we issued the appeals yesterday. But tomorrow we have visitors from the United States, from Canada, from Japan, from Germany. They are coming to the field for assistance, (INAUDIBLE), to cover the needs of the affected people.
First of all we need to shelter those people (INAUDIBLE) because the weather conditions are here really bad. In Malatya for example, Kahramanmara (ph), the epicenter of the earthquake. Snow is continuing every day. And the rain continues, that will continue.
The first priority we need to give to them feeding and sheltering those people and protecting against the cold weather.
In this case all of the NGOs and the lesser community (INAUDIBLE) it will be good to be in cooperation with the Turkish state and those share NGOs were already in the field.
Yes. International Blue Crescent. And we are doing our programs there hall be doubt but order for our work completed, just on the disaster response in the field.
VAUSE: On your website you have a list of stuff that you need. Stuff which says crucial at the moment. I just want to read it.
"Tens of thousands of tents. Tens of thousands of heaters for the tents. Tens of thousands of blankets, thermal clothes, ready to eat meals for at least 5,000 people. First aid kit.
This has to be a preliminary list of what is needed at the moment. This is obviously in the aftermath, in the immediate aftermath of the quake. How many people do you know at this point are actually in need. How many people are without shelter? How many are sleeping out, you know, in the streets with the snow and the rain?
BACA: Our estimation is that -- it is more than 200,000 people in the states for the moment. Especially Tatay and here it is -- which are the most affected cities. You can see people in screen without any shelter. In additional of course, the families are not going far from the collapsed buildings because the rescue operations for period and they are waiting, they are in the spirit, they are ready for the below to be rescued, which is -- it would be a miracle after 4 or 5 Hours. Because opportunities for those people is almost impossible, are they under the radar it's almost in possible.
My estimation is about 200,000 people are in the streets for the moment. Of course, the Turkish government rushed (ph) accommodation in the schools and the mosques. But it's not enough. So there a lot of neighboring (INAUDIBLE) they are allocating data for embassies. But we need to move those facilities.
In addition just like us. Community centers open for those who are in need. So Sheltering. But the reality is very bad here. it's very, very extremely, very bad because those people that does this that they're estimated more than 200,000.
VAUSE: Yes.
The death toll right now, the official death toll in Syria and Turkey is around 4,300 people. And Turkey is close to 3,000. How many people died essentially because buildings were not built to a standard to withstand earthquakes. Given that Turkey is an earthquake zone.
JONES: Yes, that is Unfortunately that is the reality of Turkey. Despite the building code and all of these things -- the contractors and of course, their local authorities are not obeying these building codes.
For example from the collapsed building almost around 60 percent of them are newly-built buildings after the earthquake code enforced in 2030 (ph). That means there is no control, that means there is a clout and because of this (INAUDIBLE) for the building codes, people are dying.
This -- not to say, this crime of the local authorities and the contractors, in order to get more money they destroy the nation as you see now.
VAUSE: Muzaffer, we will leave it there, sir. But thank you very much for your time. And we wish you the very best as you go back to your assistance to the -- so many people there have been affected by this earthquake. Thank you, sir.
BACA: Thank you very much.
VAUSE: Still to come here on CNN. Harrowing moments continue in Turkey as buildings come crashing down hours after the powerful earthquake. More on the destruction and what is left behind in a moment.
[01:44:42]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Damaged, devastation, and death widespread across southern Turkey and northern Syria after a powerful earthquake jolted the region early Monday killing more than 4,300 people. In Syria a number of archaeological sites were damaged including the
13th century Aleppo Citadel as well as artifacts inside the city's National Museum. Mountains of rubble and debris are now all that is left of buildings where many people were asleep when the quake struck.
And buildings continue to collapse, many left weakened by the initial quake and the aftershocks.
(VIDEO CLIP OF COLLAPSING BUILDINGS)
VAUSE: UNICEF says thousands of homes have likely been destroyed in Syria and Turkey And in Turkey alone at least 5,600 buildings have collapsed after the quake.
Almost a year into Russia's war on Ukraine and a top Ukrainian official says Moscow is planning another big call up of troops in the months ahead. Russia denies it but the deputy head of Ukraine's defense intelligence says Russia is expected to mobilize up to half a million additional troops for operations in the east and south.
Fierce fighting continues in the east in the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region and in the city of Bakhmut where intense battles are ongoing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: In the Donetsk region and other areas special attention is paid to Bakhmut. To our defense, the occupiers attempts to encircle the city and break defense lines there -- we are reacting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A Ukrainian general says the landscape around the embattled city of Bakhmut provides natural defenses for Ukrainian fighters making it an unwinnable fortress.
This as the head of Russia's Wagner mercenaries issues an asinine challenge to Ukraine's president.
Here's CNN's Fred Pleitgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wagner boss, Yevgeny Prigozhin taking to the skies, flying a combat aircraft challenging Ukraine's president to a dogfight.
"I landed, we bombed Bakhmut," he says. "Tomorrow I'm boarding a Mig 29. If you desire we'll meet in the sky."
Ukraine acknowledges the Russians have made some gains around Bakhmut but insists they are suffering catastrophic losses, the head of Ukraine's national security council tells us.
"The lack of shells that is a significant disadvantage he says but in our favor we are killing them at a ratio of seven times to one. Unfortunately our men and women are dying there as well."
[01:50:00]
PLEITGEN: Ukraine's entire eastern front has been eating up the Russians deploying tens of thousands of troops mobilized late last year for what is expected to be a massive spring offensive. Even so Ukraine's security council chief says his country is ready.
"We are concerned" he says, "but I would stress that we are preparing together with our partners. Good preparations are being made now so if the Russian offensive begins it will be unsuccessful."
But to turn the tide of this war, the Ukrainians say they need more long-range weapons to hit Russia supply lines and combat aircraft to win control of the skies. They are confident of getting both eventually.
"It's only a matter of time until we get F-16s", he says. "They will definitely come. Unfortunately in the meantime we are losing our people while fighting for our independence."
The Russians say they foiled a drone attack deep inside Russian territory only about 140 miles from Moscow.
The Ukrainians have promised not to use western weapons to hit Russian territory but Danilov says Ukraine will use its own.
"Regarding Russian territory nobody prohibits us to destroy targets with weapons produced in Ukraine," he says. "Do we have such weapons? -- yes we do."
For the Ukrainians it's a race against time to secure and develop weapons that will hold off what they call Russia's Revenge.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Some members of the U.N. Security Council called on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, even as Ukraine and the rest of the world wait for Russia's widely expected spring offensive.
During debate Monday, the U.S. ambassador pointed out that the ultimate decision on this war remains with one man.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDA GREENFIELD-THOMAS, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: We have heard your compassionate calls for negotiation, For a cessation of hostility. This is in the hands of one person -- President Putin alone. Putin started this war and he can end it today by pulling his troops out of Ukraine. And really allow for peace to take place. For Ukraine this is a matter of survival.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: Almost one year to into Vladimir Putin's war of choice and clearly he underestimated the Ukrainian people, underestimated a 102- year-old great grandmother, who is making camouflage to provide cover for Ukrainian snipers.
Sam Kiley has her remarkable story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At 102, Liubov's survival is extraordinary, not least because she has injured three famines over her century. And all of them blamed on the Kremlin.
LIUBOV YAROSHI, HOLODOMOR SURVIVOR: We ate lingen (ph) -- lingen leaves and nettles.
We used to grind this wild plant into flour. Bake with it and eat it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At 13 she saw her older brother and sister parish in Ukraine's worst mass starvation, the Holodomor .
YAROSHI: My legs were swollen. My arms were swollen. I was so sick. I thought I was going to die.
KILEY: In the early 1930s on Joseph Stalin's orders Ukraine's farmers were stripped of every grain they produced to feed Moscow's industrialization.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tiny Children, their dying of hunger. They were taken to a truck. They dug a big hole and threw them all in. 0
KILEY: Ukraine is now 11 months into the latest Russian invasion.
Three of her grandchildren are soldiers fighting Russian troops because Russia's president does not believe that Ukraine exists.
"It should be noted that Ukraine actually never had stable traditions of real statehood," Putin claimed. Russia's assault on Ukraine's capital Kyiv failed last year. Many Ukrainians believe they are fighting off another attempt at genocide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The leaders and organizers of the genocide sit in the same offices in the same place. At the center of these events, there's Moscow. And the object of destruction is Ukraine as a nation.
KILEY: Ukraine's government says thousands of citizens have been forced into Russian territory and 14,000 children are missing.
How many millions of people died in the many famines brought upon by Russia in this country over the last century is a matter of debate among historians. And human rights lawyers will debate whether or not what is happening today can be defined as a genocide.
But there is no question that over the last hundred years the relationship between Moscow and Ukraine has been a bleak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "We need to exterminate them so that not a single one is left." Only then can there be any peace.
[01:54:55]
KILEY: To help the war effort, she ties burlap into netting to make sniper camouflage. But it may be her laughter that has kept her going so many years.
Sam Kiley, CNN -- Hordo (ph), Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Three minutes before the top of the hour. Live images there from Turkey where rescue efforts continue and global efforts are underway to provide aid and relief to the victims of the earthquake in both Turkey and Syria.
That includes a German search and rescue team, 43 members with dogs trained to find the missing. Handlers say the dogs have worked in other earthquakes like Haiti as well as Nepal.
And for information on how to help the earthquake victims go to CNN.com/impact. Find a list of organizations working on rescue and relief efforts. Again please go to CNN.com/impact.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us.
The news continues next with my colleague and friend Rosemary Church.
I will see you right back here tomorrow.
[01:57:48]
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