Türkiye's earthquake death toll exceeds 44,000

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Türkiye's death toll from the February 6 earthquakes has climbed to 44,374, head of the country's disaster agency announced today (February 26).

"So far, nearly 10,000 aftershocks have occurred. Search and rescue efforts have been completed in nearly 21,000 buildings," said Yunus Sezer, chair of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD).

Some 287,000 tent cities have been set up in the quake-hit regions, and the installment of 10,000 contained houses is underway, said Sezer.

The two powerful quakes left over 160,000 buildings destroyed or severely damaged and displaced nearly two million people, according to previous statements by government officials. The death toll is expected to further increase, given the number of collapsed buildings.

On early February 6, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the Pazarcık district of Maraş, southern Türkiye, was followed by a second quake with a magnitude of 7.6 in the Elbistan district about nine hours later.

The quakes affected 11 cities in Türkiye's south and southeast, as well as northern parts of Syria. (RT/VK)