This is The Loop, your quick catch-up for this morning's news as it happens.
Key events
Live updates
That's all for The Loop this morning
By Peta Fuller
If you're looking to catch up, here's some of what we covered this morning (click the link to jump straight to the post):
- The death toll for the devastating earthquake in Türkiye and Syria has climbed to more than 3,700 (as of 8:30am AEDT). It is expected to rise eight-fold, the WHO says, taking it into the tens of thousands;
- And aftershocks have been captured on live TV broadcasts;
- Back home, Australians are (probably) getting their ninth consecutive rate rise today with the RBA's decision at 2:30pm AEDT;
- Salman Rushdie has given his first interview since he was stabbed around a dozen times in New York;
- And the Grammys "wash-up" has delivered some bizarre reactions for the internet to chew over — including an inexplicably "sad" Ben Affleck
You can keep up-to-date with other news on the ABC's website, by subscribing to our mobile alerts, and by watching News Channel or listening to local radio here.
Keep following our live earthquake coverage
By Peta Fuller
Thanks for reading this morning — we're going to keep the rolling coverage coming over here throughout the day:
'Impossible to get to everyone': Melbourne family speaks of loss in Türkiye
By Peta Fuller
In Melbourne, Hulya Arslan is among those who have lost family in the disaster — two siblings and a cousin.
Her husband Memet Arslan told ABC's News Breakfast that it's very hard to get information now, but they know surviving family had to stay in their car for warmth:
"The communication we had is only by telephone, that's the only form of communication.
Unfortunately, there are provinces that are still - they don't have communications, so there are areas of Türkiye that are still not being reached so, therefore, we don't actually know the impact of the earthquake in those areas especially in little towns."
"Unfortunately, there are thousands of people that are still unheard of... with the magnitude of the earthquake, it is impossible to get to everyone at once."
Rescue dogs, field hospitals: How the international community is responding
By Peta Fuller
Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan said early on Monday that 45 countries had offered help with search and rescue efforts:
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Germany and the UK are among those sending rescue specialists and dogs to help find survivors;
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The UAE said it would set up a field hospital and dispatch search and rescue teams;
- The US has sent a team of disaster response specialists, including two urban search and rescue specialists
How far away was the earthquake felt?
By Peta Fuller
When it hit, around 4am on Monday (local time), it was felt as far away as Egypt and Cyprus.
There have been numerous, powerful aftershocks:
So how does it compare historically?
It's now Türkiye's deadliest earthquake since a tremor of similar magnitude in 1999.
That devastated the heavily populated eastern Marmara Sea region near Istanbul, and killed more than 17,000.
Snow, freezing conditions and heavy rain affecting quake search
By Peta Fuller
Meryem Aslan from Oxfam told ABC's News Breakfast she had family "under rubble still" and the conditions to reach affected regions were terrible:
"It is very challenging for the rescue crew members. It is very challenging for the survivors. It is very challenging for everyone who wants to reach there.
"They cannot reach the area because the roads are are under snow in some places so it is making it difficult to reach. In some areas, it is really crowded."
The temperature in Kahramanmaras at the epicentre is currently 3C.
Drone footage shows collapsed apartments in Türkiye border region
By Peta Fuller
The official death toll for Türkiye stands at 2,316 with another 1,444 in Syria — but rescuers are hunting for an untold number trapped in the rubble:
The magnitude-7.8 quake brought down whole apartment blocks in Turkish cities and piled more devastation on millions of Syrians displaced by years of war.
'My wife is in there': Survivors fear the worst as search for loved ones continues
By Peta Fuller
Stories of survivors are emerging from Türkiye — 63-year-old Hulusi Ibrahim thought doomsday had arrived as his home collapsed in on him.
He told Reuters:
"There is always hope but I stayed with her for three hours and spent another hour to get out. I didn't get any response from her for three hours.
"I don't know (if she's dead). I can't bring myself to say. But I don't have hope."
Mr Ibrahim's house is in Kahramanmaras - the epicentre of the quake.
Happening now: Meet the young Australians determined to make a difference
By Peta Fuller
Let's switch gear for a second — and meet some inspiring people.
A TikTok teacher, a drag king and a pilot are just some of the inspiring young Australians who have won this year’s Heywire Trailblazer competition.
The program is for young people aged 18-to-28 who are doing inspiring things in their regional town.
If you want to hear more about our winners, or how you or someone you know can get involved, head on over to our live blog at 8:30am AEDT (or follow the link below 👇).
Expected earthquake death toll to be eight-times higher, WHO says
By Peta Fuller
We know the 2,700-plus toll will rise, but the WHO has given some context around how high it might be.
The senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, told AFP:
"There's continued potential of further collapses to happen so we do often see in the order of eight-fold increases on the initial numbers.
"We always see the same thing with earthquakes, unfortunately, which is that the initial reports of the numbers of people who have died or who have been injured will increase quite significantly in the week that follows."
President Biden to speak soon to Turkish counterpart
By Peta Fuller
The White House says Joe Biden is due to speak with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan soon about the devastating earthquake.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says US officials are already in affected zones helping emergency crews:
"The president authorised an immediate US response in addition to the US personnel currently on the ground. We are in the process of deploying additional teams to support Turkish search and rescue efforts. We anticipate the president and president Erdogan will have an opportunity to speak very soon."
Some more images of the earthquake damage
By Peta Fuller
It's getting close to midnight in the quake-hit zones, but we're getting some new images in.
This is Kahramanmaras, which is north of Gaziantep.
Warning earthquake death toll will rise 'significantly'
By Peta Fuller
This comes from the World Health Organisation (WHO) — and the figure has already climbed over 2,700.
Emergency crews have been exposed to near-freezing temperatures and heavy rains while they comb through the wreckage of buildings.
The WHO's emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Rick Brennan says in Syria, their situation is a "perfect storm", as it's already suffering a cholera outbreak and a years-long humanitarian crisis.
And people in other parts of Türkiye are lining up to give blood or volunteer their help:
Toxic chemicals to be released from derailed US train
By Peta Fuller
Authorities plan to release toxic vinyl chloride into the air from five derailed tanker cars that are in danger of exploding.
Those living close to the crash, near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, were to leave immediately or face the possibility of death:
"You need to leave, you just need to leave. This is a matter of life and death," Ohio's governor Mike DeWine said.
Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro said the evacuation zone includes about 20 Pennsylvania residents, but as of Sunday night, half had remained in their homes.
Coming up: Homeowners brace for interest rate rise today
By Peta Fuller
If it happens, it'll be the ninth rate hike in a row as the Reserve Bank (RBA) meets early this afternoon.
The board of the central bank is meeting at 2.30pm AEDT to decide the cash rate.
Economists are expecting another 0.25 percentage point rise.
But it's not a given.
At the most recent meeting in December, the RBA board considered three alternatives; keeping rates on hold, a 0.25 hike and a double hike.
Moment Türkiye aftershocks captured on live TV
By Peta Fuller
Foreign rescue teams are expected to join rescue efforts in Türkiye after two massive earthquakes that killed at least 2,500 people.
And those brutal aftershocks were captured on camera:
It's just gone 10:30pm in the region, and some were left without overnight shelter to stay in, as quake victims spent night out in epicentre.
News Australia is searching for: The Grammys wash-up (and a very 'sad' Ben Affleck)
By Peta Fuller
- Unholy: That's Sam Smith and Kim Petras' song — but the Grammy performance is *really* trending today because of US Senator Ted Cruz's reaction on Twitter:
- But their Grammy (for best pop duo/group performance) was a win for diversity, with Petras the first openly transgender woman to win in the category
- And we can't go without sharing the other "best reaction" from the Grammys — Ben Affleck looking mopey (several times) at the ceremony is just the thing the internet is looking for:
One more thing: Salman Rushdie's first interview since New York stabbing
By Peta Fuller
The author has spoken for the first time since the brutal attack — he was stabbed a dozen times while speaking on stage in New York in August last year.
He told the New Yorker he's "not out of the forest yet" and was finding it "very, very difficult" to write, but he was "lucky" to survive:
"It’s very nice that everybody was so moved by this, you know? I had never thought about how people would react if I was assassinated, or almost assassinated."
"I’m lucky. What I really want to say is that my main overwhelming feeling is gratitude."
