Death toll from Turkey, Syria earthquake crosses 50,000

Over 44,000 people died in Turkey alone. With Syria's latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000.

The death toll across Turkey and Syria following a massive earthquake on Feb. 6 surpassed 50,000 on Friday after Turkey declared more than 44,000 people died.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said the death toll in Turkey due to earthquakes rose to 44,218 on Friday night. With Syria's latest announced death toll of 5,914, the combined death toll in the two countries rose to above 50,000, as reported by Reuters.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the three-month state of emergency to speed up search and rescue efforts in the quake-hit provinces, as per the news report.

Authorities said more than 1,10,000 buildings across 11 quake-hit Turkish provinces were either destroyed or so severely damaged that they need to be torn down.

The White Helmets, northwest Syria's civil defence organisation, said about 190 people suffered different injuries in rebel-held northwest Syria mostly cases of broken bones and bruises.

It said that several flimsy buildings collapsed adding that there were no cases in which people were stuck under the rubble.

Turkey is a country that is located in a seismically active region and is prone to earthquakes. The most recent significant earthquake to occur in Turkey was on Feb 06, 2023, when a magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6, centred in the province of Kahramanmaras, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa, as per the news report. Turkey's neighbouring countries, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the tremors.

The earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure in the affected areas, and over 50,000 people lost their lives. Rescue efforts were launched immediately, and search and rescue teams worked tirelessly to locate and rescue survivors from the rubble.

Turkey has a history of earthquakes, and the country has implemented measures to improve its ability to respond to and mitigate the impact of earthquakes. These measures include the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings, the development of early warning systems, and the implementation of emergency response plans. Despite these efforts, earthquakes continue to pose a significant risk to the country, and ongoing preparedness and response efforts remain critical.