The total number of deaths rose to at least 41,219 on Tuesday after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northwestern Syria on Feb. 6, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.

There were 35,418 people killed in Turkey, according to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In Syria, the death toll currently stands at 5,801 in both government- and rebel-controlled areas of northwestern Syria, according to combined figures from the Syrian Ministry of Health and the Syrian civil defense and medical group that operates in opposition-held areas, known as the White Helmets.

The death toll in Turkey is now more than the 1939 Erzincan earthquake, the previous record for most deaths due to an earthquake in modern Turkish history.

The pre-dawn quake was centered in the town of Pazarcik in Turkey's southeastern Kahramanmaras province and was followed by several powerful aftershocks. Thousands of buildings were toppled on both sides of the border, and the death toll continued to rise as rescue workers searched for survivors in the massive piles of rubble.

One week after a devastating earthquake hit Turkey and Syria, millions of children remain in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, according to a report from UNICEF.

Roughly 4.6 million children are living in quake affected areas in Turkey and another 2.5 million children are living in the affected areas of Syria, the agency said.

UNICEF officials said the number of children killed and injured during the quakes hasn't been confirmed but is "likely to be in the many thousands."

Source: ABC News 

BDST: 1200 HRS, FEB 15, 2023
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