The death toll from earthquakes in Turkey has reached 5894 people, injured – 34.8 thousand people. This was announced by Vice President of Turkey Fuat Oktay. In Syria, whose north was also affected by the aftershocks, the death toll has reached 1,832 and 3,894 injured, Reuters and CNN report, citing authorities and emergency services from the rebel-controlled part of the country.
“Unfortunately, we are again forced to talk about the dead. Their number has increased. Now 5,894 people have become victims. 34,810 people have been injured. The number of destroyed buildings has not changed, 5,775,” Fuat Oktay said.
According to him, 16,000 rescuers are working in the disaster area. He added that foreign rescuers continue to stay there. On the night of February 8, the authorities are going to strengthen the groups to remove the rubble in Kahramanmarash, Khatai and Adiyaman.
In my country blocked
present tense
A powerful earthquake in Turkey occurred on the night of February 6. The epicenter of the shocks was in the province of Kahramanmarash, 30 km from the city of Gaziantep and 90 km from the border with Syria: the strength of the shocks reached 7.8 points. The shocks were also felt in neighboring countries: Lebanon, Armenia, Syria.
According to AFAD, a total of 435 earthquakes occurred since the first earthquake, the largest of which was a magnitude 7.6 earthquake centered on Elbistan on the afternoon of February 6.
About six thousand buildings in Turkey were destroyed: according to eyewitnesses, many residential buildings simply folded like houses of cards. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the earthquake was the biggest disaster in the country’s history since Erzincan in 1939. Mourning has been declared in the republic until February 12, and a state of emergency will be in effect in ten provinces for three months.
More than 60,000 people are involved in the search and rescue operation, and more than 3,000 rescuers from other countries have also arrived in Turkey.
