The death toll from the earthquakes that jolted Turkey and Syria has risen to at least 11,376. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that at least 8,574 people have died and nearly 50,000 others have been injured in Turkey. He made the remarks during his visit to disaster areas near the epicentre of Monday’s earthquake. Meanwhile the total number of deaths in Syria has now reached 2/802. According to Syrian Health Minister Hassan al-Ghobash 1,262 people have died in government-controlled areas of Syria.
The total number of injured people in Syria has reached 5,008, which includes 2,258 in government-controlled areas and 2,750 in the rebel-held parts.
Aid agencies and emergency workers have said that the death toll is likely to rise further with many people still trapped under the rubble and freezing weather conditions hampering rescue efforts. Turkish President has said that the state has mobilized all its resources and that 6,444 buildings collapsed due to the two earthquakes of magnitudes 7.7 and 7.6 rocked the country.
He made the remarks as he inspected relief efforts in Kahramanmaras province, where two powerful quakes that shook the region, impacting nine other provinces and more than 13 million people.
He stated the the state is working with municipalities, especially AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), with all its means. The Syrian government has said that it has established more than 100 shelters equipped with aid supplies for those affected by the earthquake in government-controlled areas, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Tartus and Latakia. The government has also said that it has provided 23 shelters and transformed 20 mosques into aid centres in Latakia, CNN cited SANA report. Furthermore, 11 shelters have been set up in Hama, Homs and Tartus.
