Number of Syrian migrants in Turkey tops 3.5 million

By Ali Kemal Akan

ANKARA (AA) - The number of Syrian migrants in Turkey now tops 3.5 million, says a new report from Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency.

According to data gathered by the agency and released this week, the exact number of Syrian migrants in Turkey is now 3,506,532.

Since the civil war erupted in 2011, many Syrian cities have suffered due to either regime forces or the Daesh and PYD/PKK terrorist groups.

More than 5 million Syrian people have fled the country, in addition to around 7 million more internally displaced.

The report also said thousands of migrants have died on their way to Europe, including cases such as Aylan Kurdi, a 3-year-old who made headlines worldwide in 2015 after drowning in the Mediterranean Sea.

Temporary sheltering centers in the Turkish provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Kilis, Mardin, Kahramanmaras, Osmaniye, Adiyaman, Adana, and Malatya house nearly 229,000 Syrian migrants, as well as some 6,500 Iraqis.

The rest of the Syrian migrants live in other cities in Turkey, especially those near the Syrian border.

The report also said that the number of migrant children receiving a primary education in Turkey topped 612,600.

Across Turkey, Syrian migrants were given a total of 31.5 million healthcare services, the report added.

According to the report, to date Turkey has spent $30.29 billion on the Syrian migrants, a number confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdag.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Agency itself have spent $5.5 billion alone.