Last month’s massive earthquake that hit southeast Turkey and northern parts of war-torn Syria has caused an estimated $5.1 billion in damages to Syria, according to the World Bank. The disaster killed at least 50,000 people, including about 6,000 in Syria, with tens of thousands still missing and hundreds of thousands left homeless. The report shows that the extent of the damage in Syria equates to 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, with Aleppo being the most severely hit region, accounting for 45 percent of the damages. The earthquake has compounded Syria’s myriad other troubles where a civil war has killed nearly half a million people and half the pre-war population of 23 million has been displaced. The World Bank warns that there is still a significant degree of uncertainty surrounding its preliminary assessment and the disaster is expected to cause a decline in economic activity that will further impact Syria’s growth prospects.
Syrian quake costs $5.1bn in damages.
