On Wednesday, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority stated that the death toll in Turkey from the devastating earthquake that occurred last month has risen to 45,089. Combined with the death toll in Syria, the total now stands at about 51,000. Additionally, over 108,000 people in Turkey were injured by the earthquake and powerful tremors that followed. This catastrophe left millions of people in the country seeking shelter in tents or attempting to move to other cities.
President Tayyip Erdogan has promised to reconstruct homes within a year; however, it will take several months for thousands of people to leave their tents or container housing. Erdogan is scheduled to address his ruling AK Party deputies in parliament at 0900 GMT. These elections are expected to be the biggest political test Erdogan has faced during his two decades in power.
The earthquake caused the collapse or severe damage of over 160,000 Turkish buildings, which contained approximately 520,000 apartments, making it the worst natural disaster in Turkey’s modern history.
According to AFAD, more than two million individuals fled the affected region, and over 11,000 aftershocks have rocked since the initial quake. The organization stated that it had established tent cities in 332 places and container housing settlements in 162 places, providing shelter to more than 350,000 people.
