Quake death toll in Turkey passes 44,000
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s disaster agency on Friday announced that the death toll from this month’s devastating earthquakes passed 44,000.
A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on February 6, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria. Several other quakes and frequent aftershocks have continued to shake the region.
Turkey’s disaster agency AFAD said in a statement late Friday that 44,218 people have been killed in the tremors. On Tuesday the death toll stood at 42,310.
AFAD also said that more than half a million people have been evacuated from quake-hit provinces.
Adana, Adiyaman (Semsur), Diyarbakir (Amed), Gaziantep(Dilok), Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa (Riha), and Elazig provinces in the southeast were affected by the tremors.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday promised to construct nearly 200,000 permanent houses in the 11 quake-stricken provinces within a year, adding that his government has mobilised all resources to meet the urgent needs of victims.
The new buildings will not exceed four stories, according to Erdogan whose cabinet has come under fire for its slow response to the disaster. The president has acknowledged shortcomings.
A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on February 6, with its impact also ripping through neighboring Syria. Several other quakes and frequent aftershocks have continued to shake the region.
Turkey’s disaster agency AFAD said in a statement late Friday that 44,218 people have been killed in the tremors. On Tuesday the death toll stood at 42,310.
AFAD also said that more than half a million people have been evacuated from quake-hit provinces.
Adana, Adiyaman (Semsur), Diyarbakir (Amed), Gaziantep(Dilok), Hatay, Kahramanmaras, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa (Riha), and Elazig provinces in the southeast were affected by the tremors.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday promised to construct nearly 200,000 permanent houses in the 11 quake-stricken provinces within a year, adding that his government has mobilised all resources to meet the urgent needs of victims.
The new buildings will not exceed four stories, according to Erdogan whose cabinet has come under fire for its slow response to the disaster. The president has acknowledged shortcomings.