People have been left homeless and helpless...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Tuesday that more than 35,000 people were killed in Turkey as a result of last week's earthquake, making it the country's deadliest natural disaster in 100 years.
While the death toll is almost certain to rise further, many of the tens of thousands of survivors who were left homeless were still struggling to meet basic needs, such as finding shelter from the bitter cold. Confirmed deaths in Turkey surpassed those recorded from the massive Erzincan earthquake in 1939, which killed approximately 33,000 people.
Erdogan said 105,505 people were injured as a result of the Feb. 6 earthquake in Kahramanmaras and its aftershocks. Nearly 3,700 deaths have been confirmed in neighbouring Syria, bringing the total death toll in both countries to more than 39,000.
The situation was especially dire in Syria, where a 12-year civil war had complicated relief efforts and resulted in days of wrangling over how to even get aid into the country, let alone distribute it. Some attendees claimed to have received nothing. Meanwhile, in Turkey, families huddled in train cars. The Syrian Health Ministry reported a total of 1,414 deaths and 1,357 injuries in government-controlled areas.
The UN launched a $397 million appeal on Tuesday to provide "desperately needed, life-saving relief for nearly 5 million Syrians" for three months. Offers of assistance have come from all over the world, but the needs remain enormous after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and powerful aftershocks toppled or damaged tens of thousands of buildings, destroyed roads, and temporarily closed airports. The earthquake struck ten provinces in Turkey, home to 13.5 million people, as well as a large area in northwest Syria, home to millions.
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