Turkey-Syria earthquake Europe's worst natural disaster in a hundred years: WHO
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Copenhagen: The WHO said last week's 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria was the "worst natural disaster" to hit the Europe region in a century. With its epicentre in Turkey, the quake and following aftershock killed over 35,000 people.
The confirmed death toll has reached 35,331. Medics said 31,643 people died in Turkey and 3,688 people died in Syria. Rescue operations are still going on and it is highly likely that more dead bodies will be discovered. The WHO officials said around 26 million people in Turkey and Syria are in humanitarian assistance.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told the media: "We are witnessing the worst natural disaster in the WHO European region for a century and we are still learning about its magnitude," reported AFP. He further said that the UN health body "initiated the largest deployment of emergency medical teams" in the 75-year history of the WHO European region. 22 emergency medical teams arrived in Turkey to work with the ongoing health response.
The WHO's European region comprises 53 countries, including Turkey. Syria is a member of the neighbouring Eastern Mediterranean region.
The United Nations on Tuesday said that over seven million children have been affected in Turkey and Syria. "In Turkey, the total number of children living in the 10 provinces hit by the two earthquakes was 4.6 million children. In Syria, 2.5 million children are affected," James Elder, spokesman for the UN children's agency Unicef told the media in Geneva.
He added that the final death toll will be "mind-boggling" and even without verified numbers, it is tragically clear that numbers will continue to grow. The UN official also spoke of the "many many children who have lost parents" and noted that "it will be a terrifying figure," reported Reuters. The affected population is battling fear, hunger, and the cold. Many families are sleeping in the streets and available public buildings like malls, schools, mosques, and bus stations.