Deaths Top 12,000, Turkey Plans Border Openings

(Bloomberg) —

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The death toll from Monday’s devastating earthquakes has risen to 12,391 in Turkey, according to the country’s civil protection agency. According to the Turkish state broadcaster TRT, about 2,000 more deaths were reported in Syria.

The Turkish government has informed Twitter that access will be reactivated shortly, Elon Musk tweeted. Access is currently blocked. The government said it had asked the social media platform to do more to tackle disinformation in the wake of the disaster.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey is planning two new border openings with Syria to allow more aid to the neighboring country.

Turkey’s stock exchange canceled deals made on Wednesday and said the market would be closed for five business days. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency for the provinces affected by the earthquake.

Important Developments

• Erdogan promises Building Blitz to renew earthquake-affected areas within a year

• Turkey halts stock trading for five days and cancels some trades

• Twitter access blocked in Turkey days after massive earthquake

• Despite the earthquake, Erdogan wants new elections in May

(All times Istanbul, GMT +3)

Death toll rises to 12,391, Turkey’s civil protection agency says (5:00 a.m.)

The death toll after Monday’s devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has risen to 12,391, according to Turkey’s civil protection agency AFAD.

Turkey Cites Twitter’s “Pledge” To Curb Disinformation (12:27 AM)

Turkey’s state media said early Thursday that Twitter officials “promised” to work with the nation to curb disinformation on the social media platform.

The story goes on

Twitter executives have agreed to do more against bots and prevent fake news, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported, without saying how they obtained their information.

Musk, Turkey on Odds Over Twitter (11:02 p.m.)

Musk, CEO of Twitter, said in a tweet that he was “struggling to understand more” about the Turkish government’s decision to restrict access to the platform.

Minutes earlier, Turkey issued a statement saying officials on Wednesday urged Twitter to do more to counter disinformation in the wake of the quake.

Border gates to Syria (9:10 p.m.)

Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said Turkey plans to open two new border crossings with Syria.

“Some European countries and Turkey are struggling to deliver aid to Syria due to weak infrastructure affected by the tremors,” Cavusoglu said.

European Union enters (20:00)

After the tremors, the European Union announced it would provide additional emergency assistance to both countries through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and emergency humanitarian aid worth €6.5 million.

Death toll in Turkey rises to 9,057 (6:19 p.m.)

The death toll in Turkey rose to 9,057, Erdogan said, bringing the total death toll including Syria to over 11,600.

The number of injured in Turkey is 52,979, he added.

Turkish stocks resume trading on February 15 (5:24 p.m.).

According to a statement, the Turkish bourse suspended trading from February 8 and resumed trading on February 15.

Read more: Turkey halts stock market trading after $35 billion wipeout

Twitter Access Limited in Turkey, Monitor Says (5:05 p.m.)

Access to Twitter was restricted at several internet providers in Turkey on Wednesday, internet monitor NetBlocks said, citing real-time data.

Users can still use virtual private networks or VPNs to bypass the restrictions, she added.

The presidency on Tuesday released a “disinformation bulletin” criticizing some social media posts questioning the scale of the state’s response to the earthquakes. Opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said on Twitter that the government was behind the restriction.

Ukraine sends rescue team to Turkey (3:30 p.m.)

Ukraine is sending a 90-strong force to Turkey to conduct rescue operations in the next 10 days, Volodymyr Demchuk, the representative of Ukraine’s state emergency medical service, said at the news conference in Kyiv.

“If necessary, the mission will be extended,” he said, adding that the team has experience working with debris from Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine.

Erdogan promises reconstruction within a year (3:16 p.m.)

Erdogan promised to rebuild provinces affected by the earthquake within a year.

“If someone prefers not to stay in tents, we can put them in hotels in Alanya, Mersin and Antalya on the Mediterranean coast,” Erdogan said during a visit to Kahramanmaras, the first stop on his planned tour of the affected provinces.

He announced 10,000 lira (US$531) in handouts for each family affected by the quakes.

Read more: Erdogan vows Building Blitz to renew earthquake-affected areas within a year

Iskenderun Port Fire Extinguished, Containers Refrigerated (14:55)

A fire at the container warehouse in Turkey’s Iskenderun port was extinguished after fire boats and helicopters were dispatched to the area on the Mediterranean coast, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The fire at the port of Iskenderun, owned by the Limak group, started on Monday after the earthquakes.

Iraq Says One of Three Bays Open for Its Ceyhan Oil (2:10 p.m.)

Only one out of three bays for Iraqi oil in Turkey’s port of Ceyhan is open, according to SOMO, Iraq’s state-owned crude oil marketing company.

The other two are still being inspected, Mohammed Saadoon, a SOMO official, told Bloomberg.

Erdogan wants elections in May despite earthquake fallout (11:00 a.m.)

Erdogan expects parliamentary elections to be held in Turkey in three months, even though two earthquakes have devastated much of the southeast. Officials familiar with the discussions said Erdogan plans to hold the vote on May 14 as originally planned.

BP Says Turkey’s Ceyhan Port Still Not Loading BTC Oil (10:57 AM)

Exports of crude oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline continue as normal, but barrels are not being loaded onto tankers at the Turkish port, Tamam Bayalti, a spokesman for BP’s Baku office, said by phone.

Turkish Banking Sector Credit Exposure (10:18)

Turkey’s banking sector’s lending exposure to the earthquake zone is more than 500 billion lire ($26.5 billion), less than 10% of total lending, according to Bloomberg Intelligence calculations.

Turkey Resumes Crude Oil Shipments at Ceyhan Terminal (9:02 am)

Turkey’s pipeline operator Botas resumed the flow of crude oil to the Ceyhan export terminal on the Mediterranean coast late Tuesday, an official with direct knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg.

Ship loading from the terminal, which exports Azerbaijani and Iraqi oil, resumed around midnight, they added.

Botas stopped oil flow to the terminal to inspect the facility after Monday’s first tremor, but no leaks or damage were found.

Turkey Sends Commands to Quake Zone (7:50 a.m.)

The Turkish military has sent thousands of commandos and other units to the earthquake zone from barracks in the west of the country and in Cyprus.

Before the start of the last mobilization period, 7,500 soldiers were already helping with rescue operations, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said late Tuesday.

–With support from Asli Kandemir, Demetrios Pogkas, Khalid Al-Ansary, Kerim Karakaya, Selcan Hacaoglu, Firat Kozok, Beril Akman, Ugur Yilmaz, Patrick Sykes, Tugce Ozsoy, Olesia Safronova and Alyssa McDonald.

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