Turkey’s earthquake death toll has reached 41,156, the Disaster Management Authority (AFAD) said on February 20.
Devastating earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 occurred on February 6 in the province of Kahramanmaras in southeastern Turkey near the border with Syria. More than 430 thousand people were evacuated from disaster areas.
On February 14, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, Hans Kluge, called the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria the worst natural disaster in the region in the last 100 years. According to Kluge, 26 million people in both countries are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the search and rescue operation after the earthquakes in Turkey will last until the last survivor is removed from the rubble. The country’s authorities intend to allocate 100 thousand liras (about $5.3 thousand) to the families of the victims of the disaster for urgent needs. In addition, the construction of 30,000 residential buildings in the regions affected by earthquakes will begin in March.
On February 19, rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Kyrgyzstan rescued three people from the rubble in Turkey 13 days after the earthquake. According to preliminary data, they were members of the same family.
Meanwhile, a field hospital for rescued animals was set up in Hatay, Turkey. Dozens of volunteers are looking for pets among the rubble. Many lost dogs and cats are brought to the hospital. Volunteers are trying to return the animals to their former owners.
The news is being added.
