Turkish Interior Minister: More than 600,000 apartments and 150,000 commercial buildings were destroyed by the earthquake
Türkiye is still counting its losses caused by the devastating earthquake that struck the country on the 6th of February.
Unless the earthquake leveled it to the ground, it needs restoration after the disaster made it unusable or almost unusable.
Poor regions of Türkiye were the most affected, with 3.5 times more damage than other regions hit by the earthquake, which is the world’s sixth deadliest natural disaster since 2010.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu revealed that more than 600,000 apartments and 150,000 commercial buildings were damaged at least moderately, due to the devastating earthquake that hit Türkiye and Syria, as the total death toll in both countries rose to 50,000.
To help Türkiye contain the repercussions of the crisis, NATO sent containers to Türkiye to use as temporary homes for survivors.
As a ship loaded with 600 containers arrived at the port of Iskenderun on Friday morning.
Suleiman Soylu confirmed that Türkiye has intensified its plans to shelter the earthquake victims, and said that 313,000 tents have been erected, and 100,000 container homes will be placed in the disaster area, which extends for hundreds of kilometers from the Turkish and Syrian coasts on the Mediterranean.
Soylu added that the death toll in Türkiye rose to 43,556, while the death toll in Syria approached six thousand.
The United Nations said that more than 4,500 people were killed in northwestern Syria, which are areas outside the control of the Syrian government.
The Syrian government announced that 1,414 people were killed in the area under its control.
After the earthquake occurred, the Turkish authorities ordered the opening of investigations and the prosecution of those responsible for building residential complexes and buildings that violate specifications.
Soylu said the authorities are expanding investigations into Turkish construction contractors suspected of violating safety standards.
He noted that 564 suspects have been identified, with 160 people officially arrested, and investigations are still ongoing with many more.
The Turkish interior minister told state broadcaster TRT Haber: “Our cities will be rebuilt in the right places, and our children will live in stronger cities, and we know what kind of test we’re facing, and we’ll come out of this stronger”.
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces accusations from opposition parties that his government has failed to implement building regulations.
But Erdogan pledged to rebuild housing within one year.
He said last Tuesday that about 865,000 people live in tents and 23,500 in container houses, while 376,000 people live in student dormitories and public guesthouses outside the quake zone.
