Latest earthquake news in Turkey and Syria: deaths, rescues and more

A worker watches the demolition of a destroyed building in Hatay, Turkey, on February 17, 2023 (Credit: YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

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4 posts

4 mins ago

The death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria exceeds 46,000

By Yusuf Gezer, Ipek Yezdani, Eyad Kourdi

Machinery removes rubble from destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The death toll in Turkey and Syria after the catastrophic earthquake on February 6 rose to at least 46,483 on Sunday.

The death toll in Turkey has risen to at least 40,642, according to the latest figures from Turkey's government disaster management agency, AFAD.

The death toll in Syria stands at at least 5,841.

The death toll in Syria includes 4,427 reported victims in rebel-held parts of northern and western Syria, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The Syrian death toll also includes 1,414 deaths in parts controlled by the Syrian government, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

25 mins ago

The death toll in Turkey from the earthquake rises to more than 40,000

By Yusuf Gezer, Ipek Yezdani

A man searches through the rubble of a collapsed building for his belongings in Hatay, Turkey (Burak Kara/Getty Images)

The death toll in Turkey from the February 6 earthquake rose to at least 40,642 on Saturday, according to the latest figures from Turkey's government disaster management agency, AFAD.

The head of the Authority for Disaster and Emergency Management (AFAD), Yunus Sezer, also said that so far 430,000 people have been evacuated from the earthquake region and more than 313,000 people have been placed in public facilities, houses of guests and hotels.

“We have largely come to the end of search and rescue efforts in 10 provinces.

Our focus is now on Hatay and Kahramanmaraş, as you all know," Sezer said during a press conference in Ankara on Saturday.

"Search and rescue work was carried out in approximately 200 buildings in Hatay yesterday, and today search and rescue work was carried out in 98 buildings," Sezer added.

"Starting tomorrow, we will have largely reached the end here. Similarly, we have 19 buildings left in Kahramanmaraş. We hope it will be the end."

"In Adiyaman, work continues on one building, Çınar Sitesi. Search and rescue efforts will be largely finished as of tomorrow night, maybe some buildings will continue, but they will be largely finished," he said.

26 mins ago

Family found under rubble in Turkey 296 hours after devastating earthquake: a child died shortly after

By Yusuf Gezer

The family man rescued 296 hours later in Hatay (Reuters/Kyrgyz Emergency Ministry)

Three people, including a child, were rescued from rubble in Turkey's Hatay province on Saturday, 296 hours after the devastating earthquake struck the country and Syria, according to the country's state-run Anadolu news agency.

The devastating earthquake has killed at least 45,513 people, with at least 39,672 dead in Turkey, according to the latest figure provided by Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

The 12-year-old boy who was rescued from the rubble died, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency.

Read the full post here.

28 minutes ago

Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu was found dead under the rubble of the earthquake in Turkey

By Kareem El Damanhoury, Yusuf Gezer

Christian Atsu, who played for many English clubs including Newcastle and Chelsea, was confirmed dead on Saturday.

(Credit: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The body of Ghanaian soccer star Christian Atsu was found under rubble on Saturday, according to his agent, nearly two weeks after the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria.

"It is with the greatest regret that I have to announce to all supporters that Christian Atsu's body was unfortunately recovered this morning," Atsu's agent Nana Sechere tweeted.

"My condolences to his family and loved ones."

The Hatayspor player's body was recovered from under the rubble of a destroyed building in Antakya, Turkey's state-run news channel TRT Haber reported on Saturday.

Read the full post here.

Earthquake in SyriaEarthquake in Turkey