MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE DIE IN TÜRKIYE, SYRIA EARTHQUAKE: REVISED TOLL

Tue 28 February 2023:

A devastating earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria killed more than 50,000 people, in a toll revised by AFP that includes figures from both government and rebel-controlled parts of war-torn Syria.

A total of 5,951 people were killed across Syria, while Türkiye recorded 44,374 deaths after the February 6 earthquake.

The new tally brings to 50,325 the total number of deaths caused by the disaster across both countries.

The Syrian government said 1,414 people had been killed in areas under its control, while Turkish-backed officials in Syria have put the death toll at 4,537 throughout rebel-held areas of the country.

The toll in areas outside government control includes deaths in territory held by rival rebel groups.

Local authorities relied on data collected from hospitals, medical centres and civil defence in Idlib and northern Aleppo province, health official Maram al-Sheikh told AFP.

They also included civilian sources, he said, many of whom buried their dead without taking them to hospital.

The toll was finalised with help from the Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) organisation, a local United Nations partner.

The UN said it relied on the ACU’s data, including death tolls.

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