The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Turkey, Louisa Fenton, said that up to 210 million tons of rubble will have to be removed from the many buildings collapsed in the earthquake that struck Turkey in early February.
“It will take an area of seven million square meters to get rid of this rubble. A huge task lies ahead of us,” she added“.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised himself to speed up the pace of reconstruction efforts, but experts warned of another disaster if safety factors were not taken into account in order to finish the buildings quickly..
Erdogan said that 865,000 people are currently living in tents and 23,500 in containers, while 376,000 live in student cities and public guesthouses outside the quake zone..
Officials say more than 41,000 people died in the first quake in Turkey, while the death toll in neighboring Syria reached nearly 6,000..
Most of the deaths occurred in northwest Syria, where the United Nations says 4,525 died. The area is controlled by armed Syrian opposition groups.
Syrian officials say that 1,414 people died in the earthquake in areas under the control of the Syrian government.
The death toll from the Antioch earthquake rises and 90 aftershocks are recorded
On the other hand, the authorities reported on Tuesday that six people had died as a result of the latest earthquakes that rocked the Turkish-Syrian border area.
The epicenter of the new quake, which occurred Monday as rescue efforts waned from the first quake, was near the southern Turkish city of Antakya and was felt by some in Syria, Egypt and Lebanon..
And US and European seismological agencies reported that the recent earthquake had a magnitude of 6.3, while Turkish observers said it had a magnitude of 6.4..
Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said it recorded 90 aftershocks after the quake, causing new shock to the displaced residents of Antioch who are currently living in tents as a result of the earthquake that occurred on February 6 with a magnitude of 7.8..
“For me, this is one of the signs of the hour,” said Murat Vural, 47, who works as a blacksmith. “I felt that we were going to die and that we would be buried here.”“.
Vural called his friend shortly after Monday’s quake to tell him he had to leave the city.
“There is no longer a place for us to stay. We are very concerned for our lives,” he added“.
