Death toll from powerful SE Türkiye quakes rises to 50,096
Debris clearance and demolition of damaged buildings continue in Adıyaman, Türkiye, March 20, 2023. (AA Photo)


The death toll from the Kahramanmaraş-centered twin earthquakes in Türkiye's southeast has reached 50,096, the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said Monday.

The catastrophic 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes – nine hours apart – struck the southeastern region of Türkiye and neighboring Syria on Feb. 6 and razed thousands of buildings besides inflicting severe infrastructural damage.

"So far, 354 tent city areas have been set up with 480,000 tent settlements, and accommodation is being provided to 1.9 million citizens via tents. In addition, 245 container cities with a total of 108,155 containers are being planned in our provinces affected by the earthquake; while 25,000 container installations have already been completed, and a total of 96,444 citizens are being sheltered there," Vice President Fuat Oktay said earlier, adding that under the "Housing Support Payment" program, TL 10,000 ($526) was deposited into accounts of each family affected by the earthquake.

More than 13.5 million people in Türkiye have been affected by the devastating earthquakes, as well as many others in northern Syria.