Topline
More than 12,000 people have now been confirmed dead in Turkey and Syria following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the region on Monday, the deadliest earthquake the world has seen in over a decade, as rescue efforts continue amid sub-freezing weather following the devastating disaster.
Relatives of the earthquake victims watch a search and rescue process on February 8 in Elbistan, … [+]
Key Facts
At least 8,574 people have died in Turkey, according to the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority, while at least 1,262 people have died in government-held parts of Syria and more than 1,400 in the country’s rebel-held northwest region, according to media cited by the New York Times.
That’s up from a total death toll of 6,200 that had been announced Tuesday.
More than 54,000 people have been reported injured in the quake, including just over 49,000 in Turkey alone.
More than a dozen countries have sent rescue teams and other assistance to the region in the wake of the earthquake, including the U.S., European Union and China, with Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority reporting that more than 100,000 people are now assisting in the country’s efforts.
Approximately 8,000 people had been rescued by teams coordinated by Turkey’s disaster authority as of Tuesday, according to the United Nations.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government has been criticized for its failure to respond quickly enough to the tragedy, toured the country’s southern Kahramanmaras region, the earthquake’s epicenter, on Wednesday, promising the government would provide those affected with aid and “will never let” those who have become homeless “remain unsheltered.”
What To Watch For
Time may be running out for more survivors to be found in the devastation, Professor Ilan Kelman, Professor of Disasters and Health at University College London, said in a statement Wednesday, warning the window for successful rescues is “rapidly closing.” “Typically, few survivors are pulled out after 72 hours—yet every life saved is essential and some people are extricated after many days,” Kelman said. The UN stressed Tuesday that the full scale of the disaster is still unfolding, and the World Health Organization warned late Monday the death toll could reach as high as 20,000, as extreme cold temperatures hitting the region are also expected to exacerbate the suffering.
Key Background
Turkey and Syria were hit by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake shortly after 4 a.m. local time Monday, which was followed by a series of aftershocks and a 7.5 magnitude earthquake a few hours later. The earthquake, whose epicenter was in southern Turkey, marks the world’s deadliest since 2011, when an earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan killed nearly 20,000. Nearly 6,000 buildings had collapsed in Turkey alone, according to the UN, sending numerous residents to sleep in cars, tents and outside in the freezing cold, the Associated Press reports. The Turkish government has been widely criticized for failing to provide aid such as food assistance, the BBC reports, with people in some of the hardest-hit areas reporting being “neglected.” The UN also reports that road conditions from Turkey into Syria have been “impaired,” affecting the ability to get help and supplies to northwest Syria, which is largely reliant on foreign aid.
Further Reading
Hope fading as deaths in Turkey, Syria quake pass 11,000 (Associated Press)
Earthquake Death Toll In Turkey And Syria Surpasses 6,200 (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/02/08/more-than-12000-dead-in-turkey-and-syria-earthquake-as-death-toll-nearly-doubles/