Turkey-Syria earthquake death toll exceeds 50,000

International Desk: The death toll in the 'worst century' earthquake that hit the Turkey-Syria border earlier this month has exceeded 50,000. More than 44,000 died in Turkey alone, nearly 6,000 in Syria. News of Al-Jazeera. Last February 6 at 4:17 am local time, a terrible earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit the Turkey-Syria border region. A few hours later, an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 was felt in the area. It completely destroyed the southern part of Turkey and the northwestern part of Syria.

The death toll in this incident has already exceeded 50,000. More than 2 million people have been left homeless. Turkey's Disaster Management Authority (Afad) said the death toll in the country has reached 44,218 as of Friday (February 24). And according to the information of the Syrian government and rescue organizations, 5 thousand 914 people have lost their lives due to the earthquake in the war-torn country. The information of the organization says that after two terrible earthquakes above the seven magnitude on February 6, more than nine thousand aftershocks have been felt in the southeast of Turkey and the northern part of Syria. About 240,000 rescue workers, including volunteers, continue to work in 1 earthquake-ravaged province. Access to some areas affected by the earthquake was initially difficult. But the rescue operation is continuing and the number of casualties is increasing with its progress.

However, in the last few days, no one has been reported alive from Turkey-Syria. Only about 530,000 people have been evacuated from the disaster-affected areas of Turkey. The Turkish government says that at least 173,000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged in the February 6 earthquake. More than 19 million people living in them have taken shelter in temporary shelters, hotels and various government buildings. About 20 million people have been affected by the twin earthquakes in Turkey. And according to the United Nations, the number of people affected in Syria is at least 88 million.

However, little information is available from the country, which has been wracked by years of civil war. Many survivors of the earthquake have fled southern Turkey or are spending the night in tents, container homes and other government-supported shelters. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to rebuild their homes within a year. But experts say authorities should prioritize safety and security over speed. Because, on February 20, a few more surviving buildings collapsed again in Turkey. The first earthquake that hit on that day was 6.4 on the Richter scale. A few minutes later another earthquake of magnitude 5.8 struck. In this incident, at least six people were killed and more than two hundred people were injured in Turkey.

 

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