Clearing the rubble of a building that collapsed in an earthquake in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaras on February 17, 2023.
Ankara – Death toll from earthquakes in Turkey and Syria since early February exceeded 50,000. Ankara said this evening that 44,218 people had died according to the new toll. That's about 600 more than the figure released Thursday. In Syria, the number of victims is less clear, and for many days the UN estimate has been about 6,000 dead.
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Photo gallery: Earthquake in Turkey and Syria
A province in the south of Turkey and an area in the north of Syria were hit by two devastating earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 on February 6. Since then, seismologists have recorded over 9,000 more weaker tremors, Turkey's disaster management agency AFAD said. The strongest of these was a 6.4-magnitude tremor on Monday. It caused panic among the people and several people died as a result of this earthquake as well. The tremors also caused further damage to property.
According to the latest statistics of the Turkish state office, over 500,000 people were evacuated from the affected area. However, many others have found alternative accommodation or temporary shelter in the affected provinces. According to an estimate reported by Reuters, half a million housing units in 160,000 houses were seriously damaged or destroyed. The UN estimates that 1.5 million people have been left homeless in Turkey.
The Turkish government promises rapid reconstruction, but people in affected areas complain of slow and insufficient aid. “I have eight children and we live in one tent,” a man waiting for more supplies told Reuters. According to the interviewed volunteers, the lack of tents is one of the biggest current problems in the area.
The Syrian balance includes data from areas under the control of the government of President Bashar Assad in Damascus, as well as from those controlled by anti-government rebels.
