Death Toll From Earthquakes In Turkey Surpasses 47,000 - Erdogan

ISTANBUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th March, 2023) The number of people killed by the earthquakes in the southeast of Turkey has exceeded 47,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"The catastrophe of the century has in one way or another affected the lives of about 14 million citizens in 10 provinces. The earthquakes killed over 47,000 citizens, over 115,000 people were injured and rescued," Erdogan said during his speech after signing a decree setting May 14 as the general election date.

The Turkish president also said that more than 270,000 buildings were either destroyed or at risk of collapsing due to the earthquakes, adding that the authorities are planning to build about 244,000 new apartment blocks and 75,000 new cottages for those affected by the disaster.

On February 6, two earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 hit the southeastern regions of Turkey with an interval of nine hours. Thousands of underground shocks that followed were felt in 11 Turkish provinces, as well as in the neighboring countries, of which Syria was affected the most.