ANKARA: Following Turkey's declaration that more than 44,000 people had perished, the death toll from the earthquakes that occurred in Turkey and Syria on February 6 topped 50,000 on Friday.
The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) reported that as of Friday night, there had been 44,218 earthquake-related deaths in Turkey. With Syria's most recent death toll of 5,914, the total number of deaths in the two nations has surpassed 50,000.
Three people are now confirmed to have died after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey on Monday, weeks after a deadly quake devastated the region. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu also said 213 people had been injured.
Turkey’s disaster and emergency agency Afad said the tremor occurred at 20:04 local time (17:04 GMT), the BBC reported.
A 7.8-magnitude quake struck the same area on February 6, killing more than 44,000 people in Turkey and Syria. Those killed by Monday’s tremor were found in Antakya, Defne, and Samandagi, Soylu said, urging people not to enter potentially dangerous buildings.
Turkish authorities have recorded more than 6,000 aftershocks since the February 6 earthquake hit, but the BBC’s team in the region said the latest tremor felt much stronger than previous ones.
Monday’s earthquake hit near the Turkey-Syria border, and the White Helmets civil defence group said more than 100 people were injured in Syria, with buildings collapsing and widespread panic, the BBC reported. According to the UNDP, 500,000 new dwellings are required because of the destruction, which has left 1.5 million people without a place to live.
From the $1 billion in cash requested by the UN last week, it claimed to have asked for $113.5 million, adding that it would use the money to clear mountains of rubble.
116 million to 210 million metric tonnes of rubble were produced by the disaster, according to the UNDP, compared to 13 million metric tonnes following the 1999 earthquake in northwest Turkey.
In accordance with new rules released by Turkey, businesses and nonprofit organisations are now permitted to construct residences and commercial buildings for the benefit of those in need.
Many survivors have either left the earthquake-affected area in southern Turkey or have relocated to tent cities, container homes, or other government-sponsored housing.
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