Turkey: More than 46,000 people have been killed in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria and the toll is expected to soar, with some 345,000 apartments in Turkey now known to have been destroyed, and many still missing.
The death toll in Turkey stands at 40,642 from the quake while neighbouring Syria has reported more than 5,800 deaths, a toll that has not changed for days. The emergency work was concentrated in southern Hatay province, which was hit hardest in last week’s quakes, he said, adding that the disaster agency had nearly 13,000 personnel working in the area. A total of 430,000 people were evacuated from the earthquake area, Sezer said.
As Turkey attempts to manage its worst modern disaster, concerns are growing over the victims of the tragedy in Syria, with the World Food Programme (WFP) pressuring authorities in the northwest to stop blocking access to the area as it seeks to help hundreds of thousands of people ravaged by earthquakes.