natural disaster
Death toll from earthquake rises to more than 40,000
The hope of finding more survivors in the rubble after the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria is now slim. photo
© Boris Roessler/dpa
The number of victims after the earthquake has to be revised upwards. The survivors are in urgent need of help – including international ones.
A good week after the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border area, the number of dead has risen to more than 40,000. In Turkey alone, the number is 35,418, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, according to the state news agency Anadolu. 5,900 deaths were recently reported from Syria.
Just over a week ago, early Monday morning, the first 7.7-magnitude tremor shook the region, followed hours later by a second severe 7.6-magnitude tremor. The civil protection agency Afad has registered more than 2,400 aftershocks so far.
Thousands more victims feared
According to United Nations estimates, the number could rise to 50,000 or more. It is becoming increasingly unlikely that the helpers will find any survivors. However, Turkish media reported several rescues on Tuesday morning. According to the state news agency Anadolu, a 26-year-old woman was rescued alive after 201 hours under the rubble in Hatay province. The information could not be independently verified.
WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge described the quake as the worst natural disaster in the region in a century. Around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria need humanitarian assistance, he said at an online press conference. The need for help is huge and growing by the hour.