Over 41,000 dead in Turkey earthquakes

Turkish Disaster Management AgencyAFAD raised the death toll from the February 6 earthquake in southern Turkey to 41,020 this Sunday.

To this figure must be added the number of deaths from the earthquake in northwestern Syria, which is much more difficult to calculate. The United Nations estimates that between 4,000 and 4,400 people have died in the area, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

So, earthquakes would claim over 45,000 livesgetting closer and closer to the initial approximation UNbringing the total death toll to at least 50,000.

The organization’s president, Yunus Sezer, also stressed that “search and rescue operations will, for the most part, end on Sunday afternoon,” given the reduced chances of finding survivors almost two weeks after the quake.

For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed that we must now appeal “to unity and solidarity.” “We will do our best to heal these wounds,” he explained, according to the Turkish state news agency Anatolia.

Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay clarified that more than 374,000 people have already been evacuated from the affected regions, including about 1,600 unaccompanied children. However, he praised that more than 950 people have “already been reunited with their families.”

World Health Organization (WHO) regional director of emergencies Rick Brennan said last week from Damascus that the agency estimated that at least 9,300 people would die in Syria – about 4,800 in government-controlled areas and 4,500 in areas in Damascus. rebellious hands, although he clarified that right now there is no way to make an adjusted forecast.

WHO increases financial assistance

The World Health Organization (WHO) today increased its international request for financial assistance to help victims of the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria to $84.5 million, nearly double the amount requested a week ago.

During his visit to Syria over the weekend to oversee humanitarian efforts, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus launched an initial appeal for $43 million in aid this past weekend.

WHO assistance to earthquake-affected areas includes the delivery of medical supplies, first aid kits for victims, the dispatch of experts to identify possible sources of infectious and respiratory diseases, and the provision of psychiatric and psychosocial assistance to victims.

Tedros stressed this week that many of the earthquake survivors, especially those in Syria, do not have proper housing or access to medical care, food or clean water.

(According to Europa Press and EFE)