WHO: There is an ongoing possibility of additional collapses and we often see numbers eight times higher than the initial numbers
The World Health Organization warned, on Monday, that the violent earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria could cause eight times the number of victims announced as of Monday evening, in an endless toll.
According to the toll announced by the various parties as of Monday-Tuesday night, the earthquake has killed 1,348 people in Syria and 1,762 people in Turkey so far.
“There is an ongoing possibility of additional collapses and we often see numbers eight times higher than the initial figures,” Catherine Smallwood, director of emergencies at the World Health Organization’s European office, told AFP.
She added, “We always see the same pattern with earthquakes, unfortunately. This means that the initial numbers of dead or injured will rise dramatically in the week following the earthquake.”
Since the moment of the first earthquake that struck at 4:17 local time in the Pazardzhik region, about 60 km from the Syrian border, the death toll continues to rise because a large number of people are still under the rubble of thousands of destroyed buildings.
Heavy rains and snowfalls in some places, and the expected drop in temperatures, will make the conditions of the homeless people and the operations of relief teams even more difficult.
Managing survivor care can also be a challenge.
Smallwood explained that “people who cannot return to their homes will gather and congregate in public places, and this will also pose risks, especially if they are not received well in the event that there are no heating methods and also because of overcrowding,” for fear of the spread of respiratory viruses.
Turkey is located in one of the most seismically active regions in the world. According to the Danish Geological Institute, the earthquake was felt as far away as Greenland.
