Death toll from February earthquakes in Turkey exceeds 50,000

Emergencies March 20, 2023, 22:56

According to Sezer, more than 300 people have been arrested on charges of being responsible for the technical state and the compliance with construction standards

ANKARA, March 20. /TASS/. The death toll from the February 6 devastating earthquakes in Turkey has exceeded 50,000, head of Turkey’s disaster and emergencies management agency (AFAD) Yunus Sezer said on Monday.

"The death toll from the earthquakes with an epicenter in Kahramanmaras has risen to 50,096. As many as 107,204 people were hurt," he said.

According to Sezer, more than 300 people have been arrested on charges of being responsible for the technical state and the compliance with construction standards.

Two powerful 7.7-magnitude and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes rocked Turkey’s Kahramanmaras province, located in the country’s southeast, on February 6. The tremors, followed by thousands of aftershocks, were felt in eleven provinces as well as in neighboring countries, including Syria.

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