The number of dead in Turkey and Syria exceeded 29 thousand people. The UN expects twice as many figures

Search operations continue in Turkey and Syria after the powerful earthquake that occurred on February 6.

As of February 12, the number of dead in Turkey has increased to 24,617 people, and in Syria to more than 4,500, reports Al Jazeera. Tens of thousands of people were injured, but it is currently impossible to establish their exact number.

Bodies of people continue to be retrieved from the rubble in the affected provinces. Due to the large number of victims, the dead have to be buried in mass graves. This is what they do in the Turkish province of Hatay.

The United Nations said that in both countries up to 5.3 million people were left homeless, and 900 thousand people were suffering from hunger. The UN expects that the real number of dead may more than double.

• On the morning of February 6, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 occurred in Turkey, the strongest in the country this century. It was followed by two more earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and 7.6. It also affected neighboring Syria. The epicenter of the earthquake was at a depth of 24.1 kilometers in Gaziantep province. Tremors were also felt in Cyprus, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and Georgia.
• The earthquake destroyed thousands of buildings, including the historic fortress in Gaziantep and the citadel in Aleppo, Syria. Both sights were on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• Ukraine sent a team of rescuers to Turkey.