Turkish authorities on Tuesday raised to nearly 32,000 the death toll from last week’s earthquakes in the province of Kahramanmaras, near the border with Syria, which have left nearly 36,000 dead in both countries, according to official estimates.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), under the Turkish Interior Ministry, said in a statement published on its website that so far 31,974 people have been confirmed dead in ten provinces and added that about 195,000 people have been «evacuated».
He also pointed out that more than 35,200 members of the search and rescue teams, as well as members of various government agencies, are working on the ground, including some 9,500 who have arrived from abroad.
To this death toll must be added 1,414 deaths in areas controlled by the Syrian government and about 2,300 in rebel-held areas in the northwest of the country, according to data from the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the ‘white helmets’.
The ‘white helmets’ said earlier Tuesday on their account on the social network Twitter that «after consolidating data from medical authorities, the death toll from the earthquake in northwestern Syria is 2,274 dead and more than 12,400 injured.» «Our teams have responded to 2,170 of the deaths and treated nearly 2,950 injured,» they added.
«Search operations to recover the bodies of the deceased are underway in several locations in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, eight days after the violent earthquake shook the region,» the Syrian Civil Defense has zaned.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for emergencies, Rick Brennan, said Sunday from Damascus that the agency estimates that at least 9,300 people have died in Syria — some 4,800 in areas controlled by the authorities and 4,500 in rebel-held areas — although he said there is no way to make an accurate projection right now.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
