WASHINGTON, Feb 9 – The number of people who died in powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye has surpassed 12,000, a government agency said early Thursday.
Türkiye’s disaster management agency, AFAD, said 12,391 people were killed and 62,914 others were injured in Monday’s quakes centered in Kahramanmaras province, Anadolu Agency reported.
Other provinces in southern and eastern Türkiye that were affected by the quakes are Gaziantep, Hatay, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Adana, Diyarbakir and Kilis.
More than 6,000 buildings collapsed due to the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes that occurred in the space of less than 10 hours.
Türkiye has taken action with all its institutions and resources since the deadly earthquakes in its southern provinces, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
“We have mobilised all our resources. The state is working with municipalities, especially AFAD (Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency), with all its means,” Erdogan said as he inspected relief efforts in Kahramanmaras.
It added that more than 13 million people have been impacted by the quakes.
Meanwhile, the United Nations will issue a flash appeal early next week to support humanitarian needs in Türkiye following the country’s deadly earthquakes, the UN chief said Wednesday.
”We will be issuing early next week a flash appeal,” Antonio Guterres told Anadolu after signing a book of condolence at the Turkish House in New York for the victims of the devastating quakes.
Guterres paid a visit to the Turkish Ambassador to the UN, Feridun Sinirlioglu, to convey his condolences to the people of the earthquake-hit country.
He said he sent the UN emergency relief chief to Türkiye to assess the needs.
”Martin Griffiths is in Gaziantep. He will also go to Aleppo, and we are doing everything to mobilize the UN system,” Guterres said.
”Naturally, in Türkiye, we have a solid capacity, even if this disaster is tremendous. In Syria, for instance, we still are in a war situation. But our solidarity with the people of Türkiye is total.”
