The number of deaths of Türkiye-Syria earthquake exceeded 50,000

The number of deaths from the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Türkiye has exceeded 50,000, including 5,951 in Syria and 44,374 in Türkiye.

The earthquake caused massive destruction in large areas of Syria in the governorates of Aleppo, Idlib, Hama, Latakia and Tartous, compounding the tragedies of a people who have been suffering, for nearly 12 years, as a result of the war and the sanctions imposed on Syria.

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria at dawn on Monday, February 6, while the earthquake’s aftershocks reached other countries in the region.

In both countries, the earthquake caused thousands of buildings to be severely damaged, including schools, healthcare facilities, and other public infrastructure.

The World Health Organization estimated that the number of people affected by the devastating earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria is about 23 million.

The earthquake also resulted in the injury of more than 108,000 people in Türkiye alone, and millions of people resorted to tents, or sought to move to other cities.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Tuesday, that the WHO will support Ankara in its response to the consequences of the devastating earthquakes.

The World Bank estimated the value of direct material damage resulting from the major earthquake in Türkiye at about $34.2 billion, but indicated that the total costs of reconstruction and recovery facing the country may be twice that estimate.

A Syrian statistical study estimated that the losses by the devastating earthquake that the size of the losses might reach for $5 billion, as total losses in Aleppo, Hama and Latakia exceed $2 billion, while the losses in Idlib governorate alone are $2 billion.