More than 7 mln children affected by major quakes

KAHRAMANMARAŞ

More than 7 million children have been affected by the massive earthquake and a major aftershock that devastated Türkiye and Syria last week, the United Nations said on Feb. 14. 

The death toll has risen to 31,974 in the Feb. 6’s quakes, approaching the number of people who lost their lives in the Erzincan quake in 1939, in which the most casualties were experienced in the history of the country.

Apart from the estimated death toll, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) also reported that more than 81,000 others were injured following the tremors felt in 10 southern provinces.

More than 3,170 aftershocks occurred in the region since the first earthquake hit 10 provinces on Feb. 6.

Over 8,000 people have been recovered alive from rubbles by search and rescue teams so far.

Over 6,500 professionals have inspected 763,000 buildings and 1,586,901 single spaces. Damage assessment is set to be completed within a week, while constructions are aimed to start before the end of the month. Permanent residences are planned to be delivered to earthquake victims within a year.

GSM operators will provide free calls for one month from the date of the earthquake.

More than 400,000 people have been evacuated from the disaster zones. In addition, many citizens have evacuated the disaster area using their own means and vehicles.

Some 369 out of 1,362 unaccompanied children were reunited with their families, while 792 of them were referred to hospitals for treatment.

Some 201 were settled in the facilities affiliated with the Family and Social Services Ministry. The identities of 1,071 children have been determined.

After Kilis and Şanlıurfa, search and rescue efforts were completed in Adana, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Vahit Kirişçi announced.

Stating that 34 citizens were pulled out of the rubble in Adana, Kiriçi reported that a total of 418 citizens lost their lives in the city.

The teams affiliated with the Health Ministry started inspections on the drinking water in the disaster area.

Chlorine has been measured at 1,485 points so far in places where water is distributed by tankers.

Upon detection of microbiological incompatibility in 49 points studied on the water sample, necessary actions were initiated.

While nine days have passed since the earthquakes hit the 10 southern provinces, both search and rescue work and aid efforts for survivors are ongoing in the earthquake-hit areas.

Miners working in the wreckage of a building in Hatay’s Antakya district managed to reach 26-year-old Emine Akgül.

The miners rescued Akgül, who is said to be a teacher, from the rubble 201 hours after the earthquake.

Akgül was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

In Kahramanmaraş, 17-year-old Muhammed Enes and his 20-year-old older brother, Abdülbaki, were rescued at the 198th hour of the quake.

They were pulled out under the rubble of their eight-story buildings.

Following the information that a person was alive under the rubble of a collapsed six-story building in Adıyaman, teams quickly started rescue operations.

After three hours of intensive efforts, miners coming from the northern province of Zonguldak reached Muhammed Cafer Çetin with a method called “chock.”

Çetin was rescued after 198 hours after the first quake.

Ayça Çebni and her mother who got trapped under the wreckage of their 11-story building were rescued 185 hours after the quake hit Kahramanmaraş.