As of: 02/24/2023 9:33 pm
Two and a half weeks after the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area, the death toll rose to over 50,000. Aftershocks still shake the region. Turkey, meanwhile, is starting to rebuild.
The number of people killed by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has risen to more than 50,000. Turkey alone has recorded 44,218 deaths, according to the Turkish disaster agency Afad. 5,900 deaths were reported recently in Syria. Aftershocks continue to rattle the region, often causing panic among local residents.
According to the Turkish government, 20 million people in the country are affected by the effects of the earthquake. The United Nations assumes that 8.8 million people will be affected in Syria.
Many thousands of aftershocks
There have been no more reports of survivors being rescued in recent days.
The series of earthquakes began on February 6, when two earthquakes measuring 7.7 and a little later than 7.6 hit southeast Turkey and northern Syria. This was followed by more than 9,000 aftershocks, according to Turkish sources.
Tens of thousands of buildings collapsed
In Syria, the northwest is particularly hard hit by the effects of the earthquake disaster. There is little information about the war-torn country. In the face of years of bombing and fighting, many people there were already living in precarious conditions before the tremors.
According to the United Nations, the earthquake disaster was not only the worst in Turkish history in terms of fatalities. The mountains of rubble are also unprecedented, said Louisa Vinton, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) representative in Turkey. According to the Turkish government, more than 173,000 buildings have been reported as collapsed or seriously damaged. Eleven provinces in Turkey were affected by the earthquake.
Turkey starts reconstruction
Turkish authorities say they have started building the first shelters for people displaced by the earthquake. Earth excavation work is underway in the towns of Nurdagi and Islahiye in Gaziantep province, tweeted Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum. Initially, 855 apartments are planned.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised reconstruction within a year. Critics warn that moving too quickly can cause the seismic safety of buildings to be neglected again. The opposition blames Erdogan’s government, which has been in power for 20 years, for the extent of the disaster because it failed to comply with building regulations.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said 583 contractors or others suspected of being responsible for collapsed structures were being investigated. 171 were arrested.