According to the latest data, 22,327 people died, another 80.3 thousand were injured. An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 occurred in Turkey on February 6, debris removal continues for the fifth day
Five hours ago, 21,043 dead and 80,097 injured were known. These data were given by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck near the Turkish-Syrian border on the night of February 6, followed by a series of weaker tremors. More than 6.5 thousand buildings were destroyed in Turkey. In neighboring Syria, according to the latest data, 3.5 thousand people were killed.
The WHO pointed to the risk of a “secondary catastrophe” after the earthquake in Turkey
After the earthquake, which became the strongest since 1939, 166 thousand people were involved in the search for victims and the elimination of the consequences of earthquakes. These are rescuers, military, firefighters, police, doctors, volunteers and employees of non-governmental organizations.
The head of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Orhan Tatar, said the amount of energy released by the earthquake is comparable to the amount released by the explosion of 500 atomic bombs.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in turn, pointed to the risk of a “secondary catastrophe” after the earthquake. According to Robert Holden, a spokesman for the organization’s incident response department, many survivors of the earthquake are out in the open and in “appalling conditions,” which could lead to casualties commensurate with the number of those who died during it.
After the earthquake, Turkey declared nationwide mourning, which will last until February 12. In the affected regions of the country, Erdogan introduced a state of emergency for three months.
