As the search and rescue mission for survivors of the Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey came to an end, demolition teams have started to clear the rubble left from the worst disaster in modern Turkish history. Here are the key developments from Sunday:
The death toll in Turkey has risen to 41,020 according to the national disaster agency AFAD. Yunus Sezer, the agency’s chairperson, stated that search and rescue work in nine of the 11 provinces listed as an earthquake disaster area had ended. Rescue operations are still ongoing in Kahramanmaras and Hatay, the two provinces hardest hit by the quake.
Hatay’s mayor, Lutfu Savas, reported that around 21,000 people died in the province, which is more than half of the total number of confirmed fatalities in Turkey. He also estimated that 80 percent of the buildings in Antakya, the capital of Hatay, must be demolished. Additionally, 24,000 people were injured across the province.
Turkey’s disaster management reported that 6,040 aftershocks were felt in the 11 provinces that form the disaster zone declared by the government. The initial quake was measured with a magnitude of 7.8, and was followed nine hours later by a 7.5 magnitude tremor.
The Environment and Urbanization Ministry found that 105,794 buildings in Turkey have been destroyed or badly damaged and require demolition. Of these, 20,662 have completely collapsed. The damaged or destroyed buildings contained more than 384,500 units, mostly residential apartments.