Over 44,370 dead from powerful twin earthquakes in southern Türkiye

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – At least 44,374 people have died in two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, an official from the nation’s disaster agency said on Sunday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Elazig, Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, also felt the strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

Yunus Sezer, head of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), said search and rescue work has been completed in nearly 21,000 buildings, adding: "We are now fully focused on debris removal."

More than 230,000 personnel are currently working in the field, he added.

Condolences have poured in from around the world expressing solidarity with Türkiye, with many countries sending rescue teams and aid.