One month passes since devastating earthquakes

HATAY

One month has passed since the devastating earthquakes that caused massive damage in the country’s south, as the death toll rises to 45,968, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has announced.

The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook 11 southern provinces on Feb. 6 and caused massive destruction, especially in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman.

Two more 6.4 and 5.8 magnitude earthquakes rattled Hatay on Feb. 20, claiming six lives and causing further destruction in the historical province that had already experienced massive damage.

More than 13,000 aftershocks, some of which were over magnitude 5, have occurred since the first massive earthquake.

At least 45,968 people lost their lives, and thousands of people were left homeless after the disaster.

Search and rescue efforts were completed in 26,032 wreckage sites in the 11 provinces, while debris removal efforts are also ongoing at full speed, Soylu stated.

With the people who left the quake-hit cities both due to anxiety of continuing tremors and as a result of destruction in their houses and workplaces, a considerable number of survivors migrated to the other provinces of the country.

The number of people who migrated to other safe cities is determined to be some 2.1 million, Soylu noted.

In the 11 provinces that hosted a considerable number of Syrian refugees, 4,267 Syrians lost their lives in the quakes.

Almost a month after earthquakes

As almost a month has passed after the quakes, aid efforts still continue, though a decline is also experienced in the number of relief supplies.

In the first days of the quakes, the country mobilized to deliver some aid materials, from clothes to hygiene sets, to the quake zone and survivors.

Officials from several aid collection centers stated that the number of relief items and the number of volunteers sorting, and packaging materials declined.

Humanitarian aid should continue at full speed as the post-quake process requires a long-term effort.

On the other hand, the efforts for providing accommodation, food and other basic needs are ongoing with the support of Tükiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Turkish Red Crescent,
municipalities and several non-governmental organizations.

In the first two weeks after the Feb. 6 earthquakes, rescue and search teams from across the country participated in rescue efforts and saved many people from the rubble.

In addition to previously trained teams, soldiers and miners provided vital support to efforts and saved many lives.

Just after the quakes, several foreign search and rescue teams also arrived in Türkiye and saved many lives.

In a show of solidarity, many countries sent numerous tents, blankets, winter clothing and food items.

Some of them, such as Azerbaijan, the U.S., Israel, Spain, Italy and Belgium, established field hospitals to provide health services in the earthquake zone.

Both in Türkiye and abroad, several aid campaigns are being organized to collect money for the earthquake survivors.

Meanwhile, earthquake crime offices were established in the prosecutors’ offices in the quake-hit provinces.

Within this scope, 249 of 791 suspects consisting of contractors, engineers and building inspectors have been arrested so far.