The number of victims of the powerful earthquake that on Sunday exceeded 28,000 dead in Turkey and Syria “will double or more,” warned the head of the UN humanitarian agency, Martin Griffiths.
The latter traveled to Turkey this Saturday in the city of Kahramanmaras, the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that occurred on February 6, which killed 24,617 people in the country and 3,574 in Syria, for a total of 28,191 deaths.
“I’m sure it will fold”
“I think it’s difficult to estimate (the number of victims) precisely because we have to go under the rubble, but I’m sure it will double or more,” he told Sky News.
Before continuing: “We haven’t really started counting the death toll yet.”
Tens of thousands of rescue workers continue to search through the rubble in freezing cold, adding to the misery experienced by millions of affected people.
The United Nations has warned that at least 870,000 people urgently need hot meals in Turkey and Syria. It is believed that there are currently up to 5.3 million homeless people in Syria alone.
More than 8,000 foreign rescuers
Nearly 26 million people have been affected by the quake, the WHO said on Saturday, calling for donations of $42.8 million to fund immediate health needs.
Turkey’s Disaster Management Agency said more than 32,000 members of Turkish organizations were taking part in the search. In addition, there are 8,294 rescuers from abroad.
“Soon the people in charge of search and rescue will give way to humanitarian agencies whose job it is to care for the extraordinary number of people affected over the next few months,” Martin Griffiths also said in a video posted on Saturday. his Twitter account.
Source: BFM TV
