Death toll in Turkey, Syria earthquake rise to over 5,000
The death toll in Turkey and Syria has risen to 5,000 while thousands of others have been reported injured after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the region yesterday morning.
In a televised briefing today, Turkey’s Vice President Fuat Oktay said that Turkey’s death toll rose to at least 3,419 and 20,534 others were reported injured.
An official with the country’s disaster management agency said that so far, 11,000 buildings had been reported damaged in Turkey.
Nearly 25,000 emergency responders are working at scenes impacted, he added.
In Syria, the death toll has risen to at 1,602 across government-controlled areas and opposition-controlled areas, officials said.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared seven days of national mourning while Syria has appealed to the United Nations for help following the devastating earthquake.
