Earthquake Death Toll In Turkey And Syria Surpasses 6,200

Topline

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that rattled Turkey and Syria on Monday climbed to 6,200 people, with more than 22,000 injured in Turkey and another 4,200 injured in Syria, local officials announced Tuesday, although the World Health Organization warns the death toll could climb to 20,000 as rescue efforts continue and as freezing weather sets in.

Key Facts

The reported death toll in Turkey has climbed to more than 4,500, with another 1,700 dead in Syria’s government- and rebel-held territories, according to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, Syrian state media and a disaster relief organization that operates in rebel-held Syrian territory.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a three-month state of emergency on Tuesday for 10 provinces in southern Turkey, as emergency crews rush to rescue residents near the Syrian border, where a 7.8 magnitude earthquake toppled residential neighborhoods and left communities buried in mounds of rubble.

In Syria, hospitals are “absolutely overloaded” with survivors from the earthquake who have suffered broken bones and lacerations, according to a UNICEF official who spoke to CNN.

In Turkey, meanwhile, more than 150,000 residents have been made homeless, after an estimated 6,000 buildings collapsed, according to the International Federation of the Red Cross, the New York Times reported.

Key Background

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck shortly after 4 a.m. Monday morning with an epicenter in southern Turkey—roughly 20 miles west of the city of Gaziantep—followed just 11 minutes later by a 6.7 magnitude aftershock. Early reports indicated a death toll of nearly 5,000, with hundreds of people hospitalized, roughly 20,000 injured and thousands more believed to be trapped in piles of rubble. Many of the casualties took place in parts of northwestern Syria controlled by rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, a region devastated by the country’s 12-year-long civil war where residents were already reliant on humanitarian aid.

Big Number

25,693. That’s how many search and rescue workers are on the ground in southern Turkey, according to Turkish officials, using more than 360 vehicles and 3,360 construction machines, including 629 cranes to excavate large pieces of crumbled buildings. Freezing weather, however, has complicated rescue efforts and posed an additional threat to survivors still buried under rubble. Temperatures in southern Turkey dropped to 30 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, and are expected to continue plummeting throughout the week.

Tangent

The massive earthquake also decimated culturally significant sites and historical monuments on the World Heritage List, including a citadel in the city of Aleppo, Syria, as well as Roman, Sassanid, Byzantine and Ottoman-era architecture, according to UNESCO, which is taking inventory on the damage from the earthquake.

Further Reading

Turkey-Syria Earthquake: WHO Estimates Death Toll May Cross 20,000 As Freezing Weather And Aftershocks Slow Rescue Efforts (Forbes)

Death Toll From Earthquake Nears 5,000 In Turkey And Syria (Forbes)

Live Updates: Rescuers Race Against Time After Earthquake Kills at Least 6,200 in Turkey and Syria (Forbes)