The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria last Monday, February 6, rises to 38,905 dead after the latest estimates announced. In Turkey there are 29,605 confirmed victims, while in Syria almost 9,300. Here, in particular, the number of victims “will continue to grow as we gain access” to the affected areas, WHO regional emergency manager Rick Brennan said, quoted by SkyNews, during a press conference in Damascus.
Saturday 11 February. a UN official said those numbers could double. “‘I think it’s really hard to estimate very precisely because we still have to dig under the rubble, but I’m sure it (the death toll) will double or go further,’ United Nations, Martin Griffiths
Turkish authorities yesterday arrested more than 100 builders in the 10 provinces affected by last Monday’s earthquake: these are people linked to some of the collapsed buildings, suspected of having violated the country’s building regulations. This was reported by the Anadolu news agency.
Indeed, the Ministry of Justice has authorized nearly 150 local prosecutors to set up “investigation units on earthquake-related crimes”: the prosecutors will be able to initiate criminal cases against all the “builders and perpetrators” of the collapse of buildings who did not comply with existing codes, introduced after a similar disaster in 1999.
One such contractor is Mehmet Yasar Coskun, who is responsible for building a 12-story luxury condominium with 250 apartments in Hatay province that was flattened by the earthquake. The man was arrested on Friday at Istanbul airport as he tried to leave the country for Montenegro, Anadolu said. Istanbul prosecutors ordered his arrest after discovering his flight plans.
THE RESCUE
A seven-month-old baby was rescued in the Antakya district of Turkey’s southern Hatay province after being trapped in rubble for 140 hours. This was reported by the Turkish state news agency Anadolu. In Nizip district of the same province, an undisclosed girl’s age was pulled from the rubble 146 hours after the earthquake. Also in Hatay province, Antakya district, a 35-year-old man was rescued by Turkish and Romanian rescue teams after 149 hours.
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