Death toll from earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria approaches 8,000

The death toll from the earthquake in Türkiye has risen to 5,894, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said. More than 34,000 others were injured. In Syria, the death toll stood at at least 1,932, according to the government and rescue workers in the rebel-held northwest.

Rescue workers rescue a 5-year-old girl from the rubble of a building after an earthquake in Hatay, Türkiye, February 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 and a second quake of similar magnitude that struck hours later collapsed thousands of buildings including hospitals, schools and apartment complexes, injuring tens of thousands of people and leaving countless homeless in Türkiye and northern Syria.

Rescue workers have had difficulty reaching some of the worst-affected areas due to damaged roads, bad weather and a lack of resources and heavy equipment. Some areas are without fuel and electricity.

Aid officials are particularly concerned about the situation in Syria, which has been gripped by a humanitarian crisis after nearly 12 years of civil war.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has declared 10 provinces of Türkiye as disaster zones and imposed a state of emergency for three months. The government will open hotels in the tourist hub of Antalya to provide temporary accommodation for those affected by the earthquake./.