The death toll caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has exceeded 28,000, according to the latest official reports from both countries, as operations to rescue survivors from the rubble continue.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale killed at least 28,191 people -24,617 in Turkey and 3,574 in Syria-, according to the latest official figures from the Turkish and Syrian authorities released by Agence France-Presse.
Five days after powerful earthquakes devastated the two countries, survivors, including a 7-month-old baby, have yet to be found, despite security difficulties faced by rescue teams.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 26 million people have been affected by the earthquakes, “including around five million vulnerable people”, according to the organization, whose director, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, arrived today in Aleppo, in Syria.
“I am heartbroken to see the conditions survivors are facing, the freezing weather and extremely limited access to shelter, food, water, heat and medical care,” he wrote on Twitter.
In addition to humanitarian concerns, the WHO also launched an appeal for the urgent collection of 42.8 million dollars, about 40 million euros, and warned of the risk of spreading cholera, which has reappeared in Syria.
Syria and Turkey suffered an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale early Monday morning, which was followed by several aftershocks, one of them measuring 7.5.
Source: TSF
