Quake death toll passes 40,000 in Turkey, Syria
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 40,000 have died due to last week’s catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, according to official figures.
A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on February 6, with its impact also ripping through neighbouring Syria. Another quake followed in both countries hours later.
Speaking at Turkish disaster agency AFAD’s headquarters in Ankara late Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the twin quakes have killed 35,418 people and injured 105,505 others in Turkey.
The death toll was below 32,000 the previous day.
A number of Syrian cities, which are under the control of regime and pro-Turkey forces, were also affected by the tremor.
Over 4,300 people have been reported dead in Turkey-held areas in northwest Syria, according to the United Nations. The Syrian government has also reported over 1100 deaths.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said in a report sent to Rudaw English late Tuesday that 5,417 people were killed by the twin quakes in all affected parts of Syria.
A destructive 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the Kurdish city of Kahramanmaras in Turkey on February 6, with its impact also ripping through neighbouring Syria. Another quake followed in both countries hours later.
Speaking at Turkish disaster agency AFAD’s headquarters in Ankara late Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the twin quakes have killed 35,418 people and injured 105,505 others in Turkey.
The death toll was below 32,000 the previous day.
A number of Syrian cities, which are under the control of regime and pro-Turkey forces, were also affected by the tremor.
Over 4,300 people have been reported dead in Turkey-held areas in northwest Syria, according to the United Nations. The Syrian government has also reported over 1100 deaths.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said in a report sent to Rudaw English late Tuesday that 5,417 people were killed by the twin quakes in all affected parts of Syria.