Earthquake in Turkey: Erdogan speaks of more than 35,000 dead

The number of earthquake victims in Turkey is increasing.

The WHO describes it as the worst natural disaster in the region in a century.

The news ticker.

• Other arrests:

  Some contractors have been arrested in Turkey

• Turkish attacks:

  Ambassador confirms Turkey's attacks on Kurdish-controlled areas

• Forecast:

  According to the UN emergency aid coordinator, the number of victims could still double

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Just over a week after the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border area, the number of dead has risen to more than 40,000.

In Turkey alone, the number is 35,418, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, according to the state news agency

.

Thousands more victims are feared. 

WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge described the quake as the worst natural disaster in the region in a century.

Around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria need humanitarian assistance, he said at an online press conference.

The need for help is huge and growing by the hour.

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The death toll from the earthquakes in Turkey continues to rise.

Millions of people depend on humanitarian aid.

© Boris Roessler/dpa

Earthquake kills tens of thousands in Turkey: UN wants to give people "a sense of the future".

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The Turkish civil protection authority AFAD has announced the current figures for the earthquake.

There have been 3,170 aftershocks since the February 6 disaster.

In addition, the number of people killed in the earthquake has risen to 31,974 today.

However, the opposition has doubts about the number of victims.

In a conversation with Fr.de, MP Servet Ünsal (CHP) said that up to 280,000 people could have died in the devastating earthquake.

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Several contractors have been arrested in Turkey so far.

They are said to be faulty and thus responsible for the deaths of many people.

Contractors who hold positions in the ruling AKP party, for example, have so far been spared.

Several lawyers and opposition politician Mahmut Tanal (CHP) have filed criminal charges against contractors and building authorities, including for intentional killing.

Update from February 14, 10 a.m.:

The Turkey election on May 14.

could be postponed by a year because of the earthquake.

Bülent Arinc, co-founder of the AKP, recently raised a corresponding demand on Twitter.

"There can't be elections in May or June, there shouldn't be," writes the AKP leader.

The opposition rejects this.

"Since there is no war, the elections cannot be postponed," said opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu (CHP).

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: UN ends rescue and recovery operations

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The rescue and recovery operations in Turkey and Syria are gradually coming to an end a week after the devastating earthquakes in the crisis areas.

That said the UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths of the

.

If the work was recently concentrated on searching for the living in the rubble, the humanitarian phase is now beginning, in which those affected would be cared for.

Now it is about providing accommodation and food and offering school lessons.

It's important to give local people "a sense of the future," Griffiths said.

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The chaos in the crisis regions of Turkey after the devastating earthquake seems to have no end: In the middle of the salvage work, according to the

there have recently been numerous lootings.

Arrest warrants have therefore been issued against 97 people in Turkey.

A total of 232 people are being investigated for looting, theft and fraud.

Devastating earthquakes in Turkey: the opposition has doubts about the official figures from the authorities

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Doubts are increasing about the extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake.

The opposition, in particular, believes less and less the statements made by President Erdogan's government.

According to official figures, the number of people killed in the earthquake in Turkey was 31,648.

The CHP MP Servet Ünsal (CHP) says in an interview with the

of

that the number of dead is at least 280,000.

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria: Pictures show the extent of the destruction

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According to

a report by

Fr.de had reported exclusively on the misappropriation of the earthquake tax and found out that around 37 billion US dollars were collected in this way, which were then not spent on earthquake safety, but for other purposes. 

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 Hundreds of thousands of defective buildings have been approved retrospectively in recent years as a result of the so-called “construction peace”.

The opposition and experts criticize that many people died unnecessarily as a result of the earthquake and call for consequences not only for builders and supervisory authorities, but also for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the 2019 election campaign, he himself said that the building peace had solved the problems of hundreds of thousands of people.

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After the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria with thousands of deaths, a single-digit number of Germans is currently missing.

This was reported by the

news agency , citing a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office on Monday in Berlin.

Some initially missing German nationals have now been found.

But one must assume that Germans were among the fatalities.

Earthquake in Turkey: Erdogan continues to take action against posts on social media

Update from February 13, 12:40 p.m .:

The number of dead in the massive earthquake in Turkey has risen to 31,643.

Thousands of people are believed to be still under the rubble.

The rescue work continues.

Even after around 180 hours, individuals are still being rescued alive.

The hope of finding more survivors sinks.

Meanwhile, the Turkish police arrested 14 people who had caused fear and panic among the population with "provocative posts" on social media.

It is mostly about prophecies of supposed new earthquakes, but also about political comments that criticize the response of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government to the catastrophe.

Earthquake in Turkey: Ankara justifies airstrikes on Kurdish areas in Syria

First report from February 13:

Kahramanmaras – After the severe earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bombed Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria.

This has now been confirmed by the Turkish ambassador Ahmet Basar Sen in an interview with the

.

It is a response to the attacks on Turkey carried out by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

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Hatay after the earthquake.

© Murat Kocabas/IMAGO

"The Syrian offshoot of the terrorist organization PKK, namely the PYD/YPG, carried out a vile attack with rocket launchers from Tel Rifaat on the area of ​​responsibility of our Öncüpınar border post," said Sen. Our response to this was aimed at ensuring the security of the border region .” The PKK and its offshoots are trying to mislead the public with disinformation, the ambassador claims and defends the actions of the Turkish government.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities continues to rise a week after the devastating tremors: 35,000 people have died according to the current status.

Only a few survivors are saved.

According to the United Nations, the death toll could rise to around 50,000.

that

the death toll could “double or more.”

However, estimates are difficult.

(tt)

List of rubrics: © Boris Roessler/dpa