The earthquake disaster in south-east Turkey and Syria is one of the most devastating in modern human history. In the meantime, more than 50,000 deaths have been counted in both countries. The numbers will continue to rise. The number of destroyed buildings also speaks of the suffering of the people.
The number of people killed by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen to more than 50,000. Turkey alone recorded 44,218 deaths, as the Turkish disaster agency Afad has now announced. 5,900 deaths were officially reported from Syria recently. The same figure for Syria was previously reported on February 12 and is now believed to be understated. Activists from the Syrian Observatory recently assumed more than 6,700 deaths. Hundreds of seriously injured people are still in mortal danger. A further significant increase in the number of victims is also expected in Turkey.
The series of earthquakes began on February 6, when two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and a little later measuring 7.6 shook southeastern Turkey and northern Syria. This was followed by more than 7,000 aftershocks, according to Turkish sources.
The tragedy includes the loss of homes for hundreds of thousands of people, in addition to the deaths and injuries. According to government figures, more than 173,000 buildings were destroyed or badly damaged in Turkey alone. Urban planning minister Murat Kurum recently told journalists in Adiyaman province that the affected houses urgently needed to be demolished. Preparatory work for the reconstruction had already begun.
The earthquakes of February 2023 are among the most devastating in recent centuries. There has only been one earthquake with more fatalities in the 21st century. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people lost their lives in the 2004 earthquake in the Indian Ocean, more than 160,000 in Indonesia alone.
Aftershocks shook the region this week, often causing panic among local residents. According to the Turkish government, 20 million people in the country are affected by the earthquake. The United Nations assumes that 8.8 million people will be affected in Syria.
The areas affected by the earthquake were initially difficult to access, but salvage work is being continued, and the number of victims is increasing as it progresses. There have been no more reports of the rescue of survivors in the past few days.
In Turkey, eleven provinces are affected by the earthquake, in Syria the north-west. There is only scant information about the situation from the civil war country. In the face of years of bombardment and fighting, many people there were already living in precarious conditions before the tremors.
